PMD: Infernal War
by ProfessorLugia
Summary: Team Firestorm has met their end at the hands of the Pokémon Mafia. With only Connor and Roy remaining, and Dialga withdrawing the Temporal Guardians from that era, there is little more than a glimmer of hope for the remaining teammates. It is now a fight between an unstoppable criminal organization and the team that is known for capturing criminals. Who will win?
1. Revenge

**Well... the wait is finally over. I still have one more week of school, but I don't want to keep you all waiting any longer! It's been a huge burden to write this story, but I had a lot of fun, and I hope that you all enjoy the final installment of the Blazing Hearts Trilogy, PMD: Infernal War!**

* * *

 **Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Infernal War**

 **-Prologue-**

 **-Roy-**

He sat down on the barren stone floor, leaning his head against the vine-laden wall, taking in the feeling of being a physical Kirlia. But even with Valerie beside him, and his Mismagius form absorbed into his past body, he couldn't help but think: What was next? He had no idea. His past had been brought to light… the terrible things he'd done… but he'd righted his wrongs. Or so he thought. He still didn't know what his purpose was at this point. At first he thought it was to help Dawn… Then she betrayed and killed everyone he'd held dear. That left him confused. Hurt. Broken. Why was he still here?

"Valerie… I still don't understand…" he murmured from the ground. The silver-skinned Delphox formed a seat made entirely of flames and eased herself into it while looking at him quizzically. "What do you not understand, Roy?"

"Why am I here? Why are we going through this… this living hell?"

"I'm gonna be honest here; I don't know. No-one deserves what your team is going through."

"What can I do to change this?" he asked. "I want to make it right."

"I think… that it's for you to decide," she responded with noticeable hesitation. "I'm done trying to rewrite your team's fate. I will help where I can… But what happens from here on… is up to you."

"Wha-?! No! Valerie, you can't do this to me! I'm not a leader! Connor was! Vulcan was! That's not me!"

"Roy, if there were any other way of doing this, then I would… But there are things that I cannot do and places I cannot be. The temporal fabric on this branch of the Temporal Tree is paper-thin. If I do much else to directly interfere… then the results could be catastrophic."

"I don't care! Valerie, you have to help!"

"My duty was to prepare you for everything you could possibly face. And, quite frankly, this is the worst path I could have foreseen. I'm doing everything I can."

"And yet you didn't say anything to me about any of this..." Roy wiped his eyes and stood up slowly. "Valerie, the entire continent is about to erupt into war, and you're standing here telling me that you can't do any more. How is that okay with you?"

"First off… No, not the entire continent. The Desert and the Mafia. It's not that big, so don't blow it out of proportion. Secondly, it's not okay with me. That's why I'm still helping you and your team."

Then she placed her hand on his arm and took a deep breath. "...Your power is still there. I have no idea how, but you're just as powerful as her now. Isn't that lovely?"

"It doesn't help if I don't know how to use my strength."

"I think you'll find that it comes rather naturally," the Delphox said with a small smile. "And in order for you to succeed... It's going to take everything you've got. Are you up to the task?"

"I don't know, Val; I… I don't know if I can bring myself to harm her."

"Roy, listen to me; She holds no love for you any more."

"But that's what you don't understand!" Roy cried. "I still love her! I don't know why… It might be denial, or… me just not accepting that she's not the girl I knew… But I still love her. Even though I don't want to..."

"Roy, this isn't one of those 'love is stronger than evil' stories. If she is given the chance, she will kill you!"

"I _can't_ die!"

"...What?" she asked after making sure he heard correctly. "You… literally can't?"

"No! It's a curse I've had to live with! I can be on the verge, and even pass on temporarily, but I always bounce back until my purpose is fulfilled! And I don't know what that is! She can't kill me... No one can..." he choked back a sob and covered his face in shame.

"You say that like you're disappointed," Valerie said with a concerned look in her eye.

"Maybe I am! Maybe I just want to fade away! Maybe it can numb the pain I'm feeling!" the tears fell to the stone floor with barely a sound as he wept, covering his face with his hands.

"But maybe not." Valerie's expression hardened as she leaned forward in her chair, getting dangerously close to his face and appearing to be staring straight into his soul. "Roy, if you die before you revive your team… then we're all doomed. Every single one of us. Mortal and Immortal. The kind of death you're talking about is a permanent fix to a temporary problem."

"How are you all doomed if I fail? The Mafia can't touch a single one of you!"

"I'm not talking about the Mafia," Valerie clarified. "I'm talking about something in the future; Something that needs Connor."

"What does Connor have to do with the future?" he asked as he brushed the hair out of his face.

"He's the leader of the most well-known outlaw hunting team the world has ever seen. And he's the most powerful mortal being in this branch of the Temporal Tree right now. That will play a key role in the next decade or so."

"Key role… in what? What are you talking about?! You do this every time; you go off on a rabbit trail and tell me something completely irrelevant! Two decades won't matter if I don't make the right choice right now!"

Then her eyes flashed white, and she leaned back in her chair. "Well, it looks like you're gonna have to choose soon. The Temporal Guardians only have a few more days at max before Dialga brings them back to their assigned eras. So you won't have help for much longer."

"Valerie… I don't have the strength to do this," Roy whimpered. "I can't do this… Everything is going so wrong…"

Valerie sighed and stood up. "Right and wrong are a matter of perspective. I've explained this to several others like you. But we can't dwell on what's happened. We have to focus on what lies ahead. And what lies ahead is the completely cliché ending where the good guys live and the bad guys get what they deserve."

"Really...?" Roy's voice broke at the mere prospect of his friends all surviving.

Valerie pat his shoulder gently whilst giving him a motherly smile. "I think so, yes. But my vision's been off before, so don't get your hopes up."

 **-Amber-**

"NO." his response was short and decisive, his voice echoing across the ever-changing landscape. She knew in that moment that he'd made his decision long before she came to him.

"Lord Dialga…!" she knelt on one knee as the Temporal Lord towered over her. She looked straight at the ground, unable to look him in the eye. "Please, I humbly beg of you-"

"AMBER, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WISH TO SECURE THAT TEAM'S FUTURE."

"For all of our futures, my lord. You know of his importance!"

"I DO. BUT THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT MY FATHER HAS GROWN WEARY OF THE STRAIN ON THE FABRIC OF TIME. I HAVE STRETCHED MY POWERS EXTENSIVELY IN YOUR ABSENCE, AND EVEN THEN… IT IS NOT ENOUGH. THE TEMPORAL TREE IS DYING, AMBER. I ALONE AM NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP THE BALANCE. NOT ANYMORE."

"What…? The Temporal Tree..." her eyes welled with tears, and Dialga planted his feet on top of Temporal Tower. "RAISE YOUR HEAD, DAUGHTER OF TIME."

Amber slowly looked up at the Temporal Lord, and she covered her mouth with her hands. His eyes were sunken and had small dark blue circles beneath them. He looked… tired. Exhausted, even. The essence of time flowing through his veins was slowed to a crawl, and his steel armor had lost much of its luster, as though it had been through hundreds of years of wear and corrosion, cracking and splitting at the joints and corroding around the edges.

"L-Lord Dialga… you-"

"I AM AWARE OF MY PHYSICAL CONDITION. AMBER. NINE OF THE TWELVE TEMPORAL GUARDIANS ARE EXISTING AT ONE MOMENT IN TIME. IF YOU DO NOT FINISH THIS SOON, THEN I WILL BE FORCED TO WITHDRAW ALL OF YOU FROM THAT ERA. I WILL NOT SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR ONE BRANCH OF TIME, NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT ITS INHABITANTS ARE."

"B-But my lord, how can we help them without our temporal manipulation?"

"TEAM FIRESTORM'S NAME WILL CARRY ON FOR CENTURIES. YET THEY HAD NO SPECIAL STRENGTHS. THEY WERE ORDINARY, MORTAL POKÉMON. I CHOSE EACH OF _YOU_ TO PROTECT TIME FOR A REASON. PROVE TO MY FATHER THAT I MADE THE CORRECT DECISION."

"How? The fabric of time is paper thin in that timeline!"

"THAT IS PRECISELY WHY I MUST WITHDRAW YOU ALL IN NO MORE THAN TWO DAYS." then he stared into the horizon as the wind picked up and the clouds warped across the orange sky. He closed his eyes and emitted a pulse of temporal energy that resolidified the horizon, which had begun to fade and reveal the outside world. "THEY ARE ABOUT TO MAKE THE JUMP… THEY WILL ARRIVE IN SEVERAL DAYS' TIME."

"Who?"

Dialga sighed and absorbed some of Temporal Tower's power into his skin, then laid down on the spire and closed his eyes. "YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH. NOW LEAVE ME. I MUST REGAIN MY STRENGTH."

 **-3rd Person-**

"...Who is responsible for this?" the King turned to Heimdall, then to the Blissey and Audino, who both looked scared for their lives.

"There was a… a Gallade. It hypnotized us into leaving the premises..." the Blissey cried out. "My lord, there was nothing we could do… Please, spare us…"

"You are fine," The King fought back tears as he looked over the massacre before him. "Where is this… this Team Skull?"

"They left in search of Connor and Roy, my lord," Heimdall quickly put in.

"And you allowed them to leave…" the King seethed. "After we had already deemed them untrustworthy." He scowled and took several deep breaths as Gabriel lifted Alice, Vulcan and Mirage's bodies bodies from the floor while peeling the blood off of the sandstone tiles with psychic, restoring them to pristine condition.

"This… this Mafia… They've taken everything from us."

Heimdall turned away from Gabriel as he levitated the bodies out of the room. "My lord… the congregation is tomorrow. What do you intend to do?"

The king took several deep breaths, holding back the tears that formed along the edges of his eyes. "Peace is no longer an option. I intend to destroy this Mafia."

 **-Chapter I: Revenge-**

 **-Victor-**

He awoke to a light knock on his door. "What?"

"Master Victor, she wishes to speak to you." Mordred's voice carried across his room, and he rolled his eyes lightly before gesturing with his wing to the Bisharp. "Bring her in."

His eyes narrowed to adjust to the light that poured into his room from the now open doorway. The six-foot tall female Gallade strode across his room, and he laid his head down. "What do you want, child?"

"Victor… This is wrong. I-"

"If that's what you wanted to talk about, then I would suggest leaving," he deadpanned. "I'm not negotiating with you any further."

"You didn't let me finish," the Gallade said defiantly. Victor arched an eyebrow and sat up, slightly caught off guard at her brash approach. "No, I didn't. What else could you possibly have to say?"

"I wanted to say that when we go to the congregation… You may want to bring me with you."

"And why would I do that? You might attempt to talk to them with your telepathy."

"No; I killed Mirage. She was the princess. Ending this peacefully is going to be impossible."

"Okay, I was already anticipating that. But why would I want you with me?" he asked again.

"Because the king has the most powerful psychic I have ever seen in his command. A Claydol by the name of Gabriel. If he's anything like me, than he can attack Dark Types as well. I can shield you from his telekinesis."

Victor paused at that statement. "Why would you protect me… After everything I've had you do?"

"Because they disowned me. Mordred will lead me to Aaron, and my vision…" she paused and shook her head. "I'm already past the point of no return. I've destroyed them. You're my only option."

"Hm. Your thought process is strange," he murmured. "You want to protect me because I'm your only option… for what?"

"I've destroyed everyone who used to be my friend. No-one else is left."

"I thought that you'd rather stand alone than serve me… what changed?"

The Gallade looked in his general direction as she seemed to be thinking about what to say. "It's better to live life with a terrible purpose than to live with no purpose at all."

"Hmph." Victor folded his wings against his sides and stared at her incredulously as he stood up. "So what do you want? A modification to our agreement?"

"No; My end of the bargain is complete. I helped you one last time. Now I want my vision restored." the Gallade said.

"Your binding oath was not with Mordred; It was with me." Victor said with a confident smirk. "Nice try, though."

The Gallade clenched her fists in defiance. "It was with the both of you; Either one of you could modify it at any time, so long as I agreed."

"Dawn… I work with nothing but technicalities. You said that you'd help us until they were all destroyed. And 'one more mission' entails whatever Mordred told you to do. Which, in this case, was finish the original job. Or was it to find them and tell him where they were? Regardless, in return, I would give you an opportunity for revenge that you would have never had otherwise against Aaron, which I did, and that your vision would be restored, which was fulfilled as well."

"Roy did that! And I don't have it anymore!"

"But that is not my fault, now, is it? Your vision was restored. That is all we agreed to. By whom and whether or not it was taken away after the fact doesn't matter."

He smirked as he saw Dawn's eyes tearing up. "My end of the deal is already complete, regardless of your situation now; You destroy them _all_ , and you're free to leave."

"No…" Dawn whimpered. "I won't…"

"You don't have a choice in the matter," Victor growled. Then he stood up and looked up at her as she glared at him. The Gallade clenched her fists, and Victor chuckled cruelly. "Also, to answer your original question: Yes. I want you to accompany me at the Congregation tomorrow. But if I sense anything I do not like from you… I will _make sure_ that we go to war with this kingdom. And I will see to it that Roy is executed before your very eyes after I've beaten you to a bloody pulp. Understood?"

"Yes," the Gallade seethed.

"Yes… what?"

The Gallade took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose, obviously filled with rage. "Yes… _sir_."

"That's better. Now, if you're done wasting my time, you should rest, if this Claydol is as powerful as you say he is."

"Wasting your time-?!" Dawn took a step forward, and Victor readied an air slash, the bright blue blade of condensed air floating menacingly between them. "We are done here."

Dawn growled and teleported out with noticeable force, shaking his room and leaving a scorch mark on his wooden floor.  
"...Whatever," he grunted. "She'll get over herself."

 **-Amber-**

"Your highness, if there is anything we can do to help, please, allow us to lend our assistance." She said as she knelt in front of the king of the Northern Desert, who motioned for her to rise before speaking up.

"And how do I know you are to be trusted?"

"Because nobody else has come to help besides us?" Galvantula proposed.

Amber's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't turn to scold him. The King exhaled through his nose and leaned back in his throne. She noted that the chairs on either side of him were vacant.

"The last time I trusted foreigners… less than three days ago… I lost my queen and my daughter at the hands of this 'Pokémon Mafia'... This team brought nothing but conflict to my kingdom, and I foolishly listened to my daughter's pleas for help."

Amber sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. _Great…_

Then she shook her head slightly as she felt a psychic force take hold of her mind. She fought it with all of her strength, eventually taking a knee and glancing up at the Claydol that hovered next to the King. She used her telepathy to speak to it before it finished sifting through her thoughts.

" _Gabriel!"_

She felt the psychic hold falter, and she used that opportunity to force her words out. " _I promise that we are not the enemy! We are here to help!"_

 _*How do you know my name?*_

" _Because I can read minds, too. Your best friend is Andreas, the Alpha Garchomp. Until this week, you two were tomb raiders, taking treasures from long-lost remains of ancient civilizations and selling them in the kingdom."_

She saw the Claydol's eyes dimming, but before she could get her hopes up, she felt her mind being torn to shreds. She couldn't even think in complete sentences anymore. Then, just before she lost consciousness, she heard the king's voice. "Stop."

She gasped for breath and coughed uncontrollably as the psychic hold was released, collapsing to the ground without preamble. She struggled to remain a Charizard while she laid there, completely exhausted. She didn't want to have to explain her human form.

When she looked up at the king, she could tell that whatever had just happened… it was a test. And they had passed.

"Amber, was it?" the King stepped down from his throne and fluttered next to her, handing her a sitrus berry. "Apologies for that; I had to determine whether or not your group was to be trusted."

"What… What did you do?" she mumbled through the mouthful of berry. She stood up as her energy was restored in an instant and looked him in the eye. "How did nearly killing me prove anything?"

"You are their leader, correct? The one in command?"

"Well… Yes, but-"

"That is why I attacked you. The pink pokémon could have negated the psychic hold over you, yet she did not. The Tyranitar could have caved in this entire chamber and saved you, yet he did not. The two Weavile could have made a blizzard that froze all of us. Yet they kept their bearings. That proves to me that they are truly here to lend their assistance; If they had any other intentions, they would have tried to attack us when they realized that you were being harmed, only to meet their end at the hands of Andreas and Heimdall."  
A colossal Garchomp emerged from behind one of the pillars, as did an Aegislash, with his arms tucked behind his shield in a defensive position.

Amber remained silent. She knew her place here. This was an entirely different culture. One that has been isolated for hundreds of years, and functioned entirely different from the rest of the world. They could only understand the king because the Claydol was translating his speech into english as he spoke. She could tell because his lips didn't match up with what he was saying. It kind of threw her off at first, but she figured it out relatively quickly. And the psychic-type was most likely translating their words into whatever language it was that the desert Pokémon spoke as well.

"Regardless, that is in the past," the king said whilst moving past her and looking at each of the Temporal Guardians. She smiled internally as she watched his body language. Completely at ease. This king had no idea who they were.

"What kind of pokémon are you?" he asked Celebi, who tilted her head, but answered truthfully. "I'm a Celebi."

"I've never heard of you," he replied before flying back to his throne almost faster than they could follow. "But you have earned my trust for congregation is to take place in less than three hours. Are you willing to fight with us?"

"I thought that the purpose of the congregation was to prevent a war?" Amber asked.

"It was, originally. Then they killed my daughter, along with the remainder of Team Firestorm." then he narrowed his eyes at them. She followed his gaze and came to Connor, who was a Swampert. "...Except this one, it seems."

Connor tilted his head, and Amber cursed under her breath. _He doesn't remember the palace..._

"Yeah… Um… Hi."

The Flygon shook his head lightly and waved them away. "If you wish to fight with us, then I have no issue with that. Just know that this congregation with the Mafia will not end without bloodshed. They are beyond redemption."

Amber's eyes widened, but she nodded as the Aegislash beckoned them out of the throne room. "This way, Insurgo. Your sleeping quarters are on the second story of the palace."

They followed the steel-type single file up the winding staircase until they came to a single wooden door, easily large enough for Tyranitar to walk through without having to lower his head. When they entered the room, the Aegislash gestured to the bunk beds lining the walls all around them, each of them easily large enough for the colossal rock-type as well. "Your sleeping quarters for the time being."

"Thank you…" Amber murmured before the door closed and the Aegislash phased through the floor.

Then she turned to Connor and sighed. "We need to figure out how to get your memories back."

* * *

 **Wow, it's good to be back. Did you guys miss me? :P**

 **I'm kidding. But in all seriousness, I sincerely appreciate all of the support I've had thus far from you all in my extended absence, and I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, go ahead and post them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated!**

 **Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	2. When It All Falls Down

**-Chapter II: When It All Falls Down-**

 **-Aaron-**

"Hmph." he crossed his arms and glared at Mordred. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Because she told me," the Bisharp said with a smirk.

"She?"

A Gallade teleported next to Mordred's side, and he gasped, faintly recognizing it. "Castiel…? I thought-"

"Yeah; You killed him." The Psychic-type's voice was distinctly female. As soon as she spoke, his jaw dropped in shock. He didn't even know that a Gallade could be a female. "You're not… Who are you?"

The Gallade's eyes glowed blue, and he was thrown into the cliffside with so much force that the stone cratered inwards. He felt his bones being crushed by her psychic as he was flattened against the rocks, and he closed his eyes and muttered his signature phrase. "The aura is with me…"

When he said this, the Gallade's psychic hold was pried apart by his aura. Her eyes widened as he dashed forward, ready to use iron tail. He leapt into the air as his tail shined with a silver luster, but the attack was parried by Mordred's arm blades. Aaron landed on the ground and used force palm, sending a small shock wave across the ground, knocking Mordred off balance. He used thunderbolt to shock the steel-type, but he threw up a protect barrier, dispelling the electricity. Aaron cursed as the Gallade dashed forward and swung at him with her fists. He dodged the first swing, but when the second punch connected, his entire shoulder was knocked out of its joint. He cried out in pain, and she kneed him in the chest, tears forming in her eyes. "How can you live with what you did?! You killed Castiel! You killed him and have no shame in that!"

Aaron fell to his knees as the Gallade grabbed his head, holding him in front of her as she wound her fist back for another punch. "He killed my best friend right in front of me… He had it coming."

She teared up and blinked heavily, and he used thundershock, knocking her into Mordred with a blast of electricity. She immediately raised her arm once she rose to her feet, and the stone walls around him were dislodged from the cliffside. He looked around nervously as she moved forward, tilting her head slightly. "Why do you not remember…?"

"Nobody was there with him!" he said through the agonizing pain, grabbing his shoulder with his good arm.

"LIAR!" she slammed the stones down into his arms, crushing them beneath the rubble. "I LOVED HIM! AND THEN YOU CAME AND CHANGED EVERYTHING!"

Aaron just shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry… But I don't know who you are… Gah!"

"I'M THE RALTS THAT YOU SCARRED FOR LIFE WHEN YOU KILLED HER MATE!"

"Mate…? No, that's impossible! He worked for Victor! Mafia pokémon don't have families!" he raked his mind, trying to remember more clearly. But his entire body was beaten and bruised beyond aura healing.

Mordred just stood to the side with crossed arms, and Aaron gritted his teeth after using strength to kick the boulders off of him with his legs. "You're next, Mordred!"

The Gallade held him against the ground with psychic, and the Bisharp chuckled in response. "I'm afraid you're outmatched, Aaron."  
The Gallade just stared at him with so much rage and sorrow that he almost felt sorry for what he did. But he decided to retreat. He pulled a Recall Orb out of his bag with all of his remaining strength and crushed it in his mouth. The last thing he saw was the Gallade's face filled with sorrow and rage as he was whisked away.

 **-Iden-**

"Wake up." The sharp voice cut through the air like a hot knife, piercing his mind and awakening him from his slumber.

"Hm...? What do you want?" he yawned and sat up, draping his wings across his shoulders and moving his tail in front of him, illuminating the Sceptile standing in the entrance of his newest hideout. "Oh… Basileus. Apologies, I-"

"It's fine," the Sceptile assured him. "You know why I'm here."

"My son…?" Iden scowled as the Sceptile nodded solemnly.

"No! I refuse to believe it! He cannot be…"

The Sceptile sighed and unwrapped a necklace from around his arm, handing it to Iden.

"What is this?"

"Your son's mega stone. My son gave it to him many years from now. And now I return it to you."

"What good does a mega stone do me?! I am the Alpha! I do not need such things!" he slammed his fist down on the marble-sized stone, but it didn't shatter. He grunted softly and threw it against the wall, but it bounced off and rolled across the barren stone ground.

"...How did you find me?" the Charizard fumed.

"I know where to look," Basileus said as he picked up the mega stone. "But I'm not here to just tell you this… I'm here to ask for your help."

"Why… would I help anyone who _let_ my son die?" he growled as fire began collecting at the back of his throat.

Basileus' eye narrowed and seemed to glow in the dim light of the cave. "You know better than to blame me. It was the Mafia who did this."

He clenched his fists and extinguished the flame in his mouth. "...Where are they?"

"I don't know. Not yet."

"You don't know… Hmph." Iden crossed his arms and snarled softly while blinking the tears out of his eyes. "Figure it out."

"It won't be long," the Sceptile promised. "Where's Cinder?"

"He's on a solo mission," Iden said. "He said it would be better if he went alone."

"And you just… let him go?" Basileus questioned. "I thought you two were each other's assurance against anything the Mafia would throw at you."

"...I thought so too."

Basileus tilted his head quizzically. "Iden… what happened? Where is he?"

"He told me not to say-"

"Since when do you take orders from someone less powerful than you?"

"He's my friend!"

"So am I! If he's gone off to find the Mafia, please tell me; otherwise he _will_ die!"

The Charizard shook his head and looked to the ground in defiance. "He… No. I can't say."

"Iden… I understand. You're hurt. You're mourning for your son. But please… I am trying to help. You tell me where Cinder is… I tell you where to find Victor."

Iden's eyes widened for a moment as Basileus' eyes glowed turquoise. "I know where they are now."

Iden growled softly, but nodded his head gently. "...He's gone in search of Team Virus. He said he had a lead from some… ocean exploration team."

"Team Siren…" the Sceptile seemed to draw a conclusion in his mind before looking back to him. "Something seems off about your behavior, Iden. Did you two have an argument before this?"

"What are we, a couple? Of course we didn't fight!"

"Okay, okay… It's just… odd, that's all."

"I just found out that my son is dead… _again_. After thinking he was dead for almost fifteen years… and now he really is."

"Iden, I know what it's like to lose a son… I have had to live with my son's death more than once. But if you help me, we can see to it that you don't have to suffer the same fate."

He paused at that statement. "...You can bring him back?"

"If you help me, yes."

Iden growled and clenched his fists softly. "You still haven't told me where Victor is."

"Iden, please-"

"He killed my son. I…" he choked back a sob and shook his head vigorously. "I have to find him, and take from him what he took from Vulcan."

"Yeah? Well, get in line," a new voice called out. "You're not the only one that wants the stupid Honchkrow dead."

"Show yourself!" Iden roared.

"If you insist."

The Charizard saw a bolt of electricity fly across the ground before a Pikachu covered in soot stood before him. Iden arched an eyebrow and glanced between this little pokémon and Basileus, who looked just as surprised as he was. "And who are you?"

"Aaron," the electric-type said. "And you?"

"Not how this works, boy," the Charizard replied. "Why do you want Victor dead?"

"He killed my family."

"Uh-huh…"

The Pikachu scoffed lightly and looked up at him. "How about you?"

"Same as you. He took my mate and my son from me."

"Then we're in the same boat, huh? Neither of us know where he is, and he took something precious from us."

"Aaron, stop," Basileus warned him. "Dawn will not be fooled twice if you seek them out."

"...What?"

"I'm Grovyle's father," the Sceptile growled while holding a leaf blade to the electric-type's throat. "I'm twice as good as he is."

"Really?" the Pikachu smirked and slowly pushed the blade away. "The Time Gear Thief's father bragging about his son… That seems kind of-"

"It was necessary for the restoration of time," Basileus countered. "Now if you are finished, please stay with us. We can fight together."  
"No, thanks," Aaron said. "I'm good on being a part of your group."

"It's not about that," the Sceptile growled. "I'm surprised that you're even alive."

"I'm tougher than I look."

"Actually, if I had to guess, I'd say that you are absolutely exhausted, since you used at least a seventy-five percent substitute clone to fool Dawn into thinking it was actually you when she destroyed it."

Aaron shook his head in defiance. "I used a warp orb while she was distracted by my clone."

Basileus smirked and exhaled through his nose, and Iden spoke up. "Dawn? First I've heard that name."

"A traitor," Basileus said simply. "Now, are you with us, or not?" he asked Aaron, who hesitated, but nodded briefly. "Fine."

"Good. Where's Leroy?" Basileus asked. "Last I heard from him, he was going to find you, then meet us at the northernmost mountain in the great mountain range."

"He said he had somewhere to be," Aaron deadpanned.

"Where?"

"I don't know! I kind of wanted his help, but he insisted that he had to go!"

"That doesn't make any sense…" Basileus seemed to be deep in thought before shaking his head clear and pulling a small golden orb out of his bag. "Let us head back to my group. Cinder will have to make due without you for the time being."

 **-B-**

She awoke when her substitute clone was destroyed. She gasped and flew to the lower layer of the inside of her tree, shooting pin missiles at the Banette and Haxorus who were using will-o-wisp and flamethrower, respectively. The Banette phased through the projectiles and held her with psychic, chuckling and slamming her into the ground. "My, oh, my… you've been a thorn in our side for several days now, haven't you? Hm-hm-hm…"

She extended her arm, about to use infestation, when Nagini lunged at her, biting her side and tossing her into the wall. She righted herself with the remainder of her strength, only to be slammed into the wall again by the Haxorus' tail as her base went up in flames. The Haxorus held her against the wall, and she struggled as the back of Arturia's throat glowed orange.

"Wait." the Seviper said. The Haxorus growled, but closed her mouth for a moment and glared at him. "What?"

"I… I think that she would be more beneficial to us alive," the Seviper hissed.

"Are you crazy? What if she gets any ideas?" the Banette argued.

"Then we beat her within an inch of her life," he replied. "But for now, we wait."

*I would like to leave this place," the Klinklang droned while eyeing the growing inferno around them. *Fire brings nothing but destruction.*

"Agreed. Larua?"

"You're stupid, Nagini," the Banette snarled. "This is going to backfire horribly."

"No, it will not. She no longer has the element of surprise," the Seviper said. "But just to make sure she doesn't try anything, break her wings."

She growled and stabbed the Haxorus' tail, causing the dragon-type to release its grip on her. She quickly focused and was enveloped in the purple sphere of energy, marking mega evolution. When it shattered, she was filled with a newfound strength that she hadn't had in a long while. She smiled and used gust, extinguishing the flames and knocking the Seviper and Haxorus back. The Klinklang attempted to use thunderbolt on her, but she used agility and flew to the side, then used drill run, merging her stingers together as she rushed forward in the blink of an eye, spinning faster than the eye could follow.

She pierced the Klinklang's steel-hard skin and pinned him against the wall, throwing poison spikes between her and the Haxorus, stopping her in her tracks. The Banette phased through the wall and tried to use shadow ball, but B used double team, then poison-jab, thrusting her stinger through the Banette's chest while her illusory copies kept the Seviper and Haxorus busy. The ghost-type melted into shadows with an agonizing wail, and she whirled around, using pursuit to slam Nagini through the entrance to her base. She impaled him with her lance-like stinger and threw him into the air, then pointed her arm at the Haxorus, causing her to stop her charge.  
"You had all better comply, unless you want to get skewered."

The Haxorus took a step forward, and she shot a pin missile, lodging a massive needle in the dragon-type's chest. Aturia growled and planted one knee on the ground, and she buzzed closer, still keeping her distance just in case. She spewed toxic gas from her abdomen, poisoning the dragon-type until it collapsed to the ground, unconscious. She force fed the Haxorus a pecha berry, making sure to keep an eye on Nagini, who lied passed out nearby after landing on the ground. The Klinklang tried to body slam her, but she flew out of the way and jammed another pin missile between its gear-like bodies, stopping the steel-type's flight and causing him to crash into the ground. (I wish pin missile was this good)

She took a deep breath once the immediate threats were neutralized, but kept her guard up until she found the Banette. She fluttered closer to the Klinklang and flipped him over until he was looking at her, motionless. But his eyes were open, so she knew he could hear her.  
"Larua was right, you know," she buzzed. "Trying to capture me alive was pretty stupid. And now I'm going to make sure your team isn't a threat to anyone until the police are clean again."

 **-Connor-**

"Gah!" he gritted his teeth and strained against the cuffs holding him to the ground.

His skin was as red as an Octillery and hot to the touch. His mind was practically fried, unable to think in complete sentences, yet Galvantula insisted that he could fix his amnesia of this timeline, as well as restore the rest of his powers, all by shocking him. All he had right now was his ability to transform between human and Swampert at will.

"Galvantula, please! You're hurting him!" Amber pleaded.

"Your incantations don't work, Briar's healing paste doesn't work, Uxie can't restore memories she didn't erase; What else are we supposed to do?"

"Not this!" she said. "This is just hurting him!"

The yellow bug-type threw his front two legs into the air in frustration. "This is fan-freaking tastic! I love it when things never go our way! Because, y'know, nothing's gone our way since we got here!"

"Galvantula, calm down," Tyranitar said. "We'll figure it out."

"Here's the thing I don't get… how the _heck_ did Amber's spells work _immediately_ on Vulcan when his memories were changed, yet nothing's working on Connor? And how did getting hit by a _rock_ give him amnesia?!"

"That rock weighed almost two tons," Amber informed him. "That's why."

"I'm right here, you know…"Connor muttered through the numbing pain of the electricity coursing through his skin.

"Oh, hi." the arthropod smirked and waved once at him. "I didn't know you were able to talk yet… heh."

"I'm… tougher than I look," Connor groaned.

"Not really," Galvantula joked. "I barely put any voltage into you."

"...What…?"

"That was nothing. A light jolt," he clarified. "Your powers are what made you intimidating."

"How are you a Temporal Guardian…?" Connor managed to joke through the pain.

Amber, Tyranitar and Grovyle all stifled a laugh, and Connor chuckled lightly before coughing uncontrollably, wheezing and gasping for breath, then groaning softly as he laid on the ground, helpless.

Galvantula just pat his head gently and released his hands from the soft leather restraints. "You'll hear our origin stories another time. For now, we just sit here awkwardly and pass the time until the war in the desert starts." Then he looked at Amber quizzically, then back at Connor. "I mean… what else are we supposed to do? We're here because we wanted to help your team. But now it's literally just you and Roy… and Val has him… Uh… so, yeah. What now, Amber?"

"We help Roy locate them and bring them back, and make sure that this kingdom wins against the Mafia!"

"That won't be an issue," a gentle, silvery voice rang out, causing all of the pokémon around him to shift uncomfortably.

"Who are you?" Connor called out, unable to see past Tyranitar and Briar, who were standing in front of him. "Show yourself!"

"Oh, that's right… we've never officially met, have we?" a silver-skinned Delphox emerged from the shadows cast by the light shining through the ornate windows, and Connor tensed up, trying to summon his aura as he sat up from his resting position, but the electric shock keeping his body immobilized was still in effect. Amber walked forward with a small frown, placing herself between him and the Delphox. "What do you mean, 'that won't be an issue'?"

"I mean that the Mafia doesn't stand a chance. Even if the desert pokémon were out of their element, they are hundreds of pokémon that have been trained their whole lives to be warriors. Most of the pokémon in the Mafia are just outlaws that use cheap tricks and numbers to overwhelm the opposition."

"So you're saying this war… it's a sure win?"

"It's not even a war," the Delphox informed them. "Because that would imply that both sides stand an equal chance at winning."

"Then what's the big deal? Just send Roy to the Distortion World and get it over with!" Galvantula said. "If the Mafia's gonna be destroyed anyways, I mean… why not do that?"

"You see… there are three things I can never do. One of those things is open a portal to the distortion world. We need a grand reaper for that. And I know for a fact that Dusknoir will be at the Desert in a few hours."

"Where is Roy, anyways?" Grovyle questioned.

"Oh, he's right behind me," she moved to the side, and a three-foot-tall Kirlia moved forward. Connor could feel the power radiating off of it. He knew that Amber could as well, based on her reaction. "...Valerie, what is this?"

"Amber, it's me." Roy's voice was distinct; practically unchanged, even in his new form. Kind of high-pitched, yet soothing to listen to. "I took control of my old body."

"How is it still… what…" Amber leaned backwards slightly, and Briar sighed quietly. "I've only seen this happen once before… But not in this world." the Sceptile observed the Kirlia with renewed interest. "How are you able to control a decade-old body? Even possession doesn't restore bodily tissue to this condition after being dead for that long."

"That's the thing!" the Kirlia blurt out. "My body was fine! I don't know how, but it was perfectly preserved! I just took control of it, and now I'm more powerful than ever!"

"Okay… but don't you have to be a Mismagius in order to travel to the Distortion World?" Grovyle asked him.

"Oh, that's not a problem, since I can do this!" he closed his eyes, and his skin began changing color from a greyish-white to a dark purple. His hair twirled and connected until it formed a giant hat, and his arms and legs flattened and expanded into a dark indigo-colored cloak that draped across his entire body, and in a matter of seconds, the familiar Mismagius was floating in front of them. "This is my original host body; I can transform at will between this form and that form. I'm stronger as a Kirlia, but I am much more comfortable and adaptable as a Mismagius."

"He's equally powerful in both forms, just… more raw power in his Kirlia form," Valerie clarified.

"Good to know; Now how the heck are we going to find Dusknoir in the middle of a war?" Galvantula asked her. "I mean, Grand Reapers don't usually show themselves in physical form."

"He only has to know that we're there; He'll likely bring another Grand Reaper. I believe that he anticipates us being there, and will be ready to help us. He'll most likely try to find me, Roy or Amber."

"Okay… So what's the bad news?" Tyranitar asked.

"What?" the Delphox tilted her head, and Tyranitar continued. "You've been telling us nothing but good news. The Mafia's going to be destroyed, Roy is able to travel to the Distortion World once we find Dusknoir, and everyone's gonna get brought back to life… is that seriously it?"

"Hm…" The Delphox placed the end of her wand on her chin, seeming to be deep in thought. "Pretty much, yeah. Nothing but good news for the next few days, I'm afraid."

"That's a bad thing?" Galvantula questioned.

"No… It just makes this whole thing less exciting since we know what's going to happen."

"You think this is exciting?" Connor groaned. "Who are you, anyways? To talk to them like that?"

The Delphox examined him lying on the ground with fake pity and glanced at Galvantula with an unamused look in her eyes. "I don't think you shocked him hard enough."

"Hey! I'm talking to- gah!" he grunted and closed his eyes, still unable to move his arms or legs.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Valerie, and I'm the only ex-temporal Guardian in existence!" she beamed. Then she rolled her eyes lightly and placed the tip of her wand on his forehead. "Okay, give me one second… Your memories are important, you know!"

He took a deep breath as the end of her wand grew hotter and hotter until she withdrew with a concerned expression on her face. Her eyes widened and her jaw hung open for a moment as she seemed to collect her thoughts. "No…"

Celebi flew forward and placed her hand on his cheek whilst looking at Valerie. "What's wrong?"

"His memories… They aren't suppressed, or scattered… They're gone."

* * *

 **Alright! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you guys enjoyed it, go ahead and leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories about this chapter in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	3. Remember The Way

**-Chapter III: Remember The Way-**

 **-Amber-**

"W-wait, what do you mean, _gone_?" she asked the Delphox, who looked just as concerned as she was.

"I mean that they're not anywhere!" Valerie cursed under her breath and turned to Roy. "Give me your spellbook."

"Uh-"

"Just give it!" she snapped at him. He jumped slightly at her sudden aggressiveness, and Amber narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so concerned?"

"Because… reasons. Amber, you'll hate me, but you'll thank me later."

"That… that doesn't make any sense…" she just facepalmed as Valerie flipped through the book, stopping suddenly near the end of the pages. "Okay… this should work… vratiti njegova sećanja."

The book was surrounded by a light pink aura that quickly dimmed, and Connor seemed to relax slightly before shaking his head back and forth for a moment. "It didn't work."

"Ah, what the hell…" her wand extended into a six-foot long staff, and she slammed the blunt end into his forehead before anyone could move, knocking him out cold.

Amber, Grovyle, Celebi and Tyranitar all rushed forward as she threw up a protect barrier, which Tyranitar bounced off of without making a dent. They were all glaring at her, and the Delphox shrugged innocently. "Sometimes the old-school methods are effective."

"You're lucky you didn't kill him!" Amber raged.

"It's not luck if it's planned."

"You planned on knocking him out?!" Amber looked at Connor anxiously, small lines of blood dripping from his nose as he laid on the ground. She clenched her fists and turned back to Valerie. "Why?!"

Roy placed his hand on her protect barrier, somehow lowering it. Valerie appeared just as shocked as everyone else. The Kirlia teared up and held his hands out between them. "Please, don't fight… I'm sure she has a reason… even if we don't agree with it."

"There is nothing to be gained from hurting him that badly!" Briar seethed.

"Actually, my spells didn't work, which hasn't been an issue in almost six millennia. There's something powerful at work here. Something more powerful than any of us."

"But… Valerie, why did you have to knock him out? And why not explain yourself instead of being super vague for no reason?" Roy asked.

"There's always a reason…" she whispered those words before tensing up and looking towards the entrance of the hut. "I, uh… I have to go." she vanished in a small tornado of fire, and Amber growled softly whilst transforming into her human form and placed her hands on Connor's face, cleaning the small line of blood off with the edge of her robe as he laid unconscious. "I'm so sorry that you're going through this… I would never wish this upon anyone..."

"Can I just… say something real quick?" Galvantula raised his hand and spoke up, as if it were a statement rather than a question. "If something's got Valerie scared… I think we need to be worried."

"She's not scared, she's nervous," Briar said. "There is a difference. Her composure changes on a dime as soon as there is something she can't control."

"Same difference," Galvantula said. "If she can't restore his memories… then-"

"It's not an option," Roy said. "He needs to be the leader we know. Our team needs him."

Tyranitar shook his head and extended his hand at the Kirlia. "Roy-"

He cut the rock-type off by slightly raising his voice. "You all might know him for who he was in your future, or wherever you came from, but to us… to me… he is the leader of our team. We have to bring that Connor back."

"It might be impossible" Briar said. "If anyone could have done it, it was Valerie. But apparently this is beyond her power. Roy… I think we might have to consider all possibilities. Including the possibility that he will never have his memories of your team restored."

 **-Valerie-**

"Come on, come on…"

She frantically tossed another book to the side, reaching for the next one and flipping through the pages, searching for an answer. Even with an eternity to learn, she still had so much that she didn't know. Right now, her biggest issue was why her spells didn't work.

"It doesn't make any sense… That can fix any form of amnesia… Why didn't it work?"

She skimmed across the pages and groaned, tossing the book to the side in frustration. She had already gone through almost 100 of her books, slowing down time so she could read them without being pressured by time.

She picked up one book, labeled ' _Levi's Three Simple Steps to Curing Short-Term Memory Loss'._

"That's not what I need! His memories are completely gone!" then she gasped as a new thought occurred in her head. "Perhaps it happened when his spirit left his body… Maybe it's not the right spirit…"

Then she buried her face in her hands and sighed. "No, it's definitely him… Come on, Val… You're getting rusty. You should know this… think… how does this end…"

She closed her eyes, and suddenly she was on top of Temporal Tower, standing in the presence of Dialga. A face she never thought she'd see again. One that she knew for millions of years, and still looked the same as the first day she met him. She gasped and knelt on one knee, looking to the ground out of respect for her former master. "Dialga…"

"VALERIE."

She felt the air around her and sighed wistfully. "I… I'm not really here, am I?"

"NO. I SENSED YOUR TEMPORAL MANIPULATION AND DECIDED TO SPEAK WITH YOU."

"Y-Yes sir…" she didn't raise her head. Whether it was out of respect or out of fear, she still wasn't sure. Dialga could wipe her from existence if he wanted to.

"MY ORACLE. I WISH TO HAVE IT BACK."

"Oracle…" she grimaced, but nodded slowly whilst extending her wand into the six-foot-long staff that split into a V-shape at the top with a small fireball between the branches. She turned it over and twisted the bottom of the staff off, pulling out a small time gear, no larger than two inches across, from the compartment inside. "You mean this..."

"YES. I WANT IT RETURNED TO ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE."

"But… I am forbidden access to the Hidden Land. How will I return it?"

"ONCE TEAM FIRESTORM'S FUTURE IS SECURED, YOU WILL BE GRANTED ACCESS SOLELY FOR THAT PURPOSE. I AM WILLING TO WAIT UNTIL THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW. I FEEL A DISTURBANCE IN THE FLOW OF TIME, AND I WISH TO MAKE SURE IT IS TAKEN CARE OF."

"What do you think the disturbance is? Where is it coming from?"

"IT IS ORIGINATING FROM A TIME MANY EONS AGO. NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THE SEPARATION OF THE WORLDS."

"From that far back? Why are you just now addressing it?"

"FOR REASONS BEYOND YOUR UNDERSTANDING."

"And I thought I was vague…" she muttered before clearing her throat and speaking up. "Beyond my understanding, huh? Whatever you say..."

"GOOD. SEE TO IT THAT THEIR FUTURE IS SECURED."

"I… I will."

Then she opened her eyes, and she was back in her home, with the piles of books on her left and right as she continued sifting through the thousands of pages, hoping to find an answer. "Okay… Let's do this. There's bound to be something here. I have to secure their future."

After what seemed like hours of searching through every page of her vast library, she slammed the last book closed in frustration and laid on her bed, staring at the roof while she pointed her wand at the mountains of paperback novels, including several written by renowned healers in other realities, placing them back in their rightful places without even thinking about it. "Come on… Think…"

"Valerie?"

She sighed and waved him away without averting her gaze. "Go away, Roy. I need to think."

"I was actually thinking about that… What you said earlier."

"What?" she rolled on her side and glanced at the Kirlia, half-surprised that the Mismagius wasn't floating there. "What did I say? I don't remember."

"You said that there was something more powerful at work… something that's keeping his memories from you. I think it might be Dialga. Or maybe Giratina."

"And why would they do that?"

"Because… Dialga might want him to… um… I…"

"Roy, I appreciate you trying to help, but…" her voice faltered when she observed the fireplace to her left. The flame was perfectly still, and appeared to be suspended in time. She didn't feel a single breeze, now that she was paying attention to her surroundings. Yet Roy was standing there, completely unaffected. "...how are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"  
She glanced back and forth between the Kirlia and the crimson flame, and her jaw hung open slightly. "You're… you aren't suspended in time."

"What? Time isn't frozen," Roy said while slowly looking around. "...Is it?"

"Look to your left."

The Kirlia turned his head and arched an eyebrow at the perfectly still flame. "...Well, this is awkward."

"That's my line," she quickly said, her curiosity growing by the second. "How are you doing that?"

"I dunno," Roy shrugged nonchalantly and snapped his fingers, and the flame sparked to life, swaying in the gentle breeze that glided through her fur. "It just… sort of comes naturally, I guess."

She tilted her head, her jaw hanging open even wider. "You mastered Temporal Kinesis…? Wh-when?"

"In the desert. I wasn't sure what it meant at first, since that was a weird case of time travel, but-"

"How… how did you learn it so suddenly?" she asked, completely baffled at this newfound power. "It took me decades to perfect it like that!"

"Uh… I don't know? I just… was alone in the palace, then the next thing I knew, I could control time almost as well as you, even without chanting the spell. I just didn't realize I could until I regained my physical body."

For the first time in a long while, she was at a loss for words. This Mismagius- er, Kirlia/Mismagius, had shocked her time and time again. But this was his most impressive feat to date.

"But… I shouldn't be able to, should I?" he asked.

"No… you shouldn't." Valerie sat up and beckoned him closer. "Not unless you were a Temporal Guardian or a Grand Reaper."

"Grand reapers can control time?"

"Yes… Time and space. That's why they're the most powerful," she admitted. "Dusknoir tries to keep that a secret, but it makes sense, since they have to be pretty much everywhere at once to guide the billions of souls that are lost across the temporal tree every second."

"Huh. Yeah, that does make sense, doesn't it…" Roy sighed and looked off to the side, teary-eyed and scowling, and Valerie hugged him gently. When she did that, he broke down, crying into her fur. She teared up slightly at the sight of it. She knew perfectly well what he was going through. And she didn't want anyone to go through that kind of heartbreak. Especially not him. Not in this way.

"I miss them so much…" he sobbed.

"I know…" she stood in silence as he wept, allowing her mind to drift back to the problems at hand. _He might be even more powerful than I thought… if he can already control time…_

She looked down at him as he took a deep, shaky breath, and smiled wistfully. Once this was over, she was going to miss him. She laughed internally at the thought. Missing someone seemed like such a foreign concept. Everyone she really _knew_ was immortal, so she didn't have to worry about that. But as much as she hated to admit, Roy had actually grown on her quite a bit. He had made her life a little bit more exciting, since she had someone who could learn almost everything she had to offer. That hadn't ever happened before. Even with the Roy in other timelines… they couldn't learn this quickly.

Then her eyes welled with tears as she looked down at the Kirlia, who was still crying into her fur, making streaks of gold in her shining silver pelt. _No need to get all sentimental, Val… he's not coming back from this._

 **-Plague-**

"This way… quickly." she ushered Ryder forward through the narrow fissure in the cliffside. She felt the strong psychic energy take hold, and she focused on the point she wanted to go. When they emerged from the other side, Ryder stumbled forward, at a loss for words as they appeared at the crossroads of Treasure Town. She had used that passage too many times to count, so she was used to it.

"Go to Wigglytuff," she said. "He will help us."

"Wait, what just-?! Did we teleport?!" the Marshtomp exclaimed.

"You mean you don't know about the passages to these crossroads?" she asked.

"No! We don't have those!"

"Well that's too bad. They're quite useful when you can't teleport by psychic means. Now let's find Wigglytuff." she employed a light hypnosis to clear his mind of the past few minutes, and he just smiled at the mention of the Guildmaster.

"Wigglytuff?" Ryder asked. "Awesome! The guildmaster will know what to do for sure!"

Plague fluttered forward, noting the beating sun directly overhead, and landed on the grate in front of the tent.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" a somewhat high-pitched voice shouted from below.

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?" a booming voice sent shockwaves up through the grate, causing her to flinch.

"The footprint is Venomoth's! The footprint is Venomoth's!"

"...CLEARED FOR ENTRY! STEP FORWARD, AND GET YOUR FRIEND TO STAND ON THE GRATE!"

The color was drained from the Marshtomp's face as he stepped forward onto the grate, and the voices spoke up again.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"WHOSE FOOTPRINT? WHOSE FOOTPRINT?"

"The footprint is Marshtomp's! The footprint is Marshtomp's!"

"CLEARED FOR ENTRY! YOU MAY ENTER!"

The gate in front of them rose from the ground, and Ryder stepped forward cautiously. "Do you think they'll know who I am?"

"Unlikely," she replied. "You're from a different reality, right?"

"I think so…? I mean, I'm not from here, if that's what you mean."

"Then they won't know who you are. Even if you recognize all of them. So don't give it away. I don't know how that would affect your world."

"Got it…" he sighed and looked over his shoulder at the empty space behind them, and Plague took a deep breath, trying her best to sympathize. "Ryder… I mourn for your loss. I truly do…"

"Yeah… Sure you do," he said without looking at her. He climbed down the ladder, and she followed shortly afterwards. They were met by the Chatot that Plague had read about, and Ryder put on an obviously forced smile. She understood perfectly well. He had been through a lot, after all.

"Hello! I'm Chatot, the guildmaster's right-hand pokémon! Are you by any chance here for-"

"Actually… may we speak to the Guildmaster? It's about Team Firestorm," Plague insisted. "We're here to help."

The flying-type paused and seemed to be in deep thought before nodding slowly. "...Follow me, if you would."

They both followed the bird pokémon down the next ladder and came to a double wooden door with lighter swirl-like patterns imprinted on them. Chatot knocked on the door with his beak. "Guildmaster? It's Chatot. You have guests!"

"Come on in!" the voice, whom she presumed belonged to Wigglytuff, rang through the door, and Chatot pushed the door open slowly. "Guildmaster, there are two pokémon here to see you."

Wigglytuff turned around with a smile and waved at Plague. "Oh, nice to meet you, friend! And-"

His smile faded the moment he saw Ryder. "Your name is…?"

"Ryder." the Marshtomp said. "Guildmaster, is everything alright?"

"You… How are you here?" the pink fluffball looked absolutely shocked to see the Marshtomp. He nearly fell over before Chatot caught him and glared at them, obviously worried for the fairy-type. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Chatot, I'm fine," Wigglytuff assured him as he sat on the ground, taking deep breaths as he regained his composure. "It's just… my talents have been acting up… It's fine. Go check up on the apprentices."

Chatot visibly hesitated in leaving, eyeing her and Ryder warily. "Guildmaster, are you sure-"

"Yes."

Chatot's eyes widened as did Ryder's. The flying-type nodded slowly and dramatically marched out of the room, closing the door behind him. The instant the door closed, Wigglytuff _teleported_ and had Ryder pinned to the wall. "How are you here?"

"I… I don't know!"

Plague tried to use psychic, but the guildmaster just shrugged it off and pressed even harder against the Marshtomp's chest. "Answer me! I can feel your temporal energy! You're not from this timeline! How did you cross over?"

"Gah! Some… some Delphox with silver fur brought me here; She said I was needed for something!"

Wigglytuff gasped and released his hold on Ryder. He teared up and looked away from them. "I'm sorry… But you have to leave."

"What? Why?" the Marshtomp asked.

"Because you don't belong in this world! You belong in your own! None of us know you, but you know each of our names, don't you?"

"Yes…? I know that this isn't my timeline," the water-type said. "But how do you know that?"

Wigglytuff sighed and slumped his shoulders. "She knows better…" he grimaced and fiddled with a small green orb. Plague was still too shocked to say much. This Wigglytuff had moved so fast that she couldn't follow him. But she could track psychics even when they teleported. Whatever he did, he moved faster than teleportation, which, for a pokémon besides Ninjask, should be impossible.

"How did you move so swiftly…?" Plague asked. "Not even teleportation is that fast…"

"That's not for you to know," Wigglytuff said. Ryder's voice broke into her head, catching her slightly off guard.

" _He seems a lot different than the Guildmaster in my world."_

" _It's to be expected,"_ she replied telepathically. " _He's under a lot of s_ _tress, with Team Firestorm being extinguished and such."_

" _I know, but still… he seems different."_

" _Of course he's different! This isn't your Wigglytuff! You knew this going in!"_

"Wigglytuff… what's wrong with me being here?" Ryder asked. "I just want to help this team in any way I can.

"It won't matter," Wigglytuff said. "Their fate is already sealed."

"What? Are any of them left?" Ryder asked, tears forming in his eyes.

"Only two. Connor and Roy. But Connor is…" the Guildmaster shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. "He has no memories of any of us."

"Only two… Then I have to help them!" Ryder exclaimed. "As long as there is one left, I promised Caroline that I'd-" he choked back a sob and scowled. "If I'm not supposed to be here, then by all means, you can send me back to my world when it's all said and done, but please… let me help first."

"There's nothing you can do at this point," Wigglytuff muttered. Then the Guildmaster looked at her, and she tensed up with just one look into his eyes. She could feel his anguish and rage as if it were her own. How he'd managed to keep it in, she had no idea.

Then his entire demeanor changed in that next instant. Even his internal emotions were replaced by a happy-go-lucky sort of attitude.  
"Okay, friends! Let's figure out how to help them!"

Ryder arched an eyebrow and glanced at Plague, and she shrugged, just as confused as he was. _Wigglytuff… he is certainly strange._

* * *

 **Alright, so I took a bit of a darker twist on the Guildmaster, but it's not how he normally is. Anywho, for my American readers, I hope you have a good Memorial Day, and don't forget to honor the soldiers that died protecting your freedom.  
**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen later, or who this 'mystery being' making the temporal jump is, feel free to leave a Review or PM! It's always appreciated!**

 **Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	4. Ashes of Time

**-Chapter IV: Ashes of Time-**

 **-Amber-**

It had been a long couple of hours. Connor lied asleep on one of the many bunk beds lining the walls of the chamber, obviously exhausted. She was, too. She sighed and flopped onto another bunk bed, transforming into her human form and sprawling herself out across the surprisingly soft mattress with a satisfying yawn. It had been a while since she'd been able to lay down on a real bed. She turned onto her side and propped herself up with her arm, looking at Tyranitar, who was hanging halfway off of the bottom bunk, sound asleep while Galvantula strung his own web hammock through the ceiling rafters.

 _Our time here… is about to end. I can feel the presence of time itself leaving my body._

Briar casually strode across the room and sat down on the ground next to Amber's bed. Amber arched an eyebrow, then cleared her throat dramatically after an awkward amount of silence from the Sceptile.

"...You feel it as well." The grass-type's tone made it sound more like a statement than an actual question. "Dialga's power…"

"It's leaving us," Amber finished. "...Our time is running out."

The grass-type nodded solemnly and glanced at Connor, then back at her. "I know you love him, Amber… We all know. It's obvious."  
Amber blushed and smiled skittishly for a moment as she observed him lying nearby. "I do…"

"And as long as I've known you… as long as we've all known each other… this is the first mortal I have seen that would be a worthy mate for you."

"A… mate? _Him?_ " she said with a hint of surprise. Briar never spoke like that! "Briar, what's gotten into you? You know I can't-"

"I'm not saying you can," the Sceptile clarified. "You know the law better than any of us, _Elder Temporal Guardian_. I am just informing you that if you _do_ choose him, then you have my approval."

"Briar, I'm not going to give up my position as a Temporal Guardian! I might love him, but I accept the fact that we can never be together."

"Do you really accept that?" the Sceptile asked. "How can you be satisfied, knowing that the only human you've ever loved will be left all alone when it's all said and done? How can you live with that? How can you say that you love him when you're not willing to sacrifice yourself for him?"

Amber tensed up and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Briar… why are you talking like this? It's almost like you're being…" her words died in her throat as Valerie phased through the wall with a sly smile stretched across her face. As soon as the Delphox made eye contact with her, she knew what was going on.

"Valerie-!" Amber began to sit up when the Delphox pointed her wand at her, forcing her down against her will with psychic.

"Please… just listen to me," she said with tears in her eyes. "I know that what I just did is wrong, okay? I am aware of that. But there was no other way that you'd even consider what I have to say."

"You just… controlled her?!" Amber looked frantically back and forth between the Delphox and Sceptile as she struggled to sit up.  
"I spoke through her, yes," the Delphox sighed dramatically and dropped her shoulders. "It's not that bad. She won't even know what happened once I snap her out of it."

"Valerie, you can't just do that!"

"But I did. Are you gonna do anything about it?"

Amber growled and clenched her fists, and the Delphox smirked triumphantly. "Didn't think so." she looked around the room with an approving nod, noting each of the pokémon in the room. "Tyranitar's just as sound a sleeper as ever, I see… Grovyle and Celebi are asleep and cuddling in the back… adorable. Briar's here while Basileus is off doing some scouting for Iden… Galvantula's asleep up there… Even the Weavile twins have each other. And technically I have Roy - er, Castiel… No, Roy. I like that better."

"What are you talking about?" Amber seethed.

"Who's the only one here who doesn't have someone to call a friend?"

Amber shook her head lightly, and Valerie pointed her wand at her. "You, Amber. It's you. The elder Temporal Guardian. You've been so caught up with trying to lead that you don't even know us! We're all a team here, Amber! And you keep failing to see that! You just want to play 'follow the leader' and act like you're all special because you're Dialga's right hand woman!"

"We've all known each other for eons! Don't try and act like I don't care about the others just because I'm the Elder Temporal Guardian!"

"I'm not saying you don't care; I'm saying that you think you're too good for everyone else…" Valerie pointed her wand at Connor and stared back at her. "Except for him. He's the only mortal in the entire multiverse that has earned your respect, and you know it. And feel free to tell me if I'm wrong. But I doubt that I am."

"...So?"

"I'll ask you this now: do you really love him?"

"Yes." she answered without hesitation.

"Would you be willing to give up everything for him? Even your position as a Temporal Guardian?"

She paused and pondered the question for a moment, and Valerie nodded with a small sigh. "That's what I thought... Amber, do you know what love is?"

"It's a feeling of deep affection for another being," she said.

"That's the literal definition, yes," the Delphox said. "But... love is such an incredibly powerful word, and it means so much more than just… _affection_." then she smiled and twirled her wand while releasing Amber from the psychic hold. "When you're in love... you always want to be together, and when you're not, you're thinking about being together, because you need that person. It's like... without them your life is incomplete. This kind of love is unconditional affection with no limits or conditions. It's when you trust the other with your life, and would do anything for each other. When you love someone... you want nothing more than for them to be truly happy, no matter what it takes, because that is how much you care about them. In fact, their needs would come before your own more often than not. You hide nothing of yourself and you can tell the other anything because you know they accept you just the way you are, and vice versa. It's when they're the last thing you think about before you go to sleep… and the first thing you think of when you wake up. It's the feeling that warms your heart and leaves you overcome by a feeling of serenity. Love involves wanting to show your affection and devotion to each other. It's the smile on your face you get when you're thinking about them and miss them. Love can make you do anything and sacrifice for what will be better in the end. It's intense and passionate. Everything seems brighter, happier and more wonderful when you're in love. And that kind of love… it only comes once in a lifetime. And since our lifetime is forever, it only comes once. And Amber… You've found it."

"Okay, since when did this turn into a romance novel?" Galvantula asked as he dropped to the ground.

"It's always been a romance," Valerie said. "It was just overshadowed by the impending doom and sorrow caused by the Mafia. And adventure, too, I guess..."

"Valerie, what do you mean, 'I've found it?'" Amber asked.

"You know exactly what I mean," she said. "And once this war is over with in a few hours, then you'll be able to really see it."

"Valerie, please… I can't do anything about it. We're being withdrawn from this era the day after tomorrow. Stop trying to convince me otherwise."

"I'm not trying to convince you. I'm just letting you know that… whatever happens… he's a good person. He'd be good for you."

"Why are you here?" Amber said through the tears that had begun welling up in spite of herself. "And why isn't Roy with you?"

"There has been some unforeseen… complications in his training. He's safe and sound in my little cave home for now, so don't worry."

Amber glanced at Connor once more as he began stirring from his slumber. Valerie casually walked over to his bedside and sighed wistfully. "Amber… I wish to talk to you alone."

When she said this, the room they were in vanished, and she was alone in a realm of darkness, only able to see Valerie. She felt like she was standing on the earth and floating in space at the same time, which was extremely disorienting. Valerie sat down in a chair made of shadows and planted her staff in the ground, solidifying the reality into a normal-looking world around them, in the middle of an open field with a cloudless sky overhead.

"I didn't want to have to tell you this… but this reality… this is the second worst reality I have been a part of in Team Firestorm's history."

"...You've been here before?"

"How do you think I know what's going to happen? I've lived through every timeline, every branch of reality... Except this one. Connor's amnesia and Dawn's betrayal are the only key differences. Aside from that, everything is the same."

"You said second worst… What could be worse than this?"

"A lot of things… For one, there's still hope in this world." The Delphox scoffed and rolled her eyes at her own statement. "Tch. That sounds so corny, even when I say it…"

"Hope… because we're still here?"

"Well, there's that… and Roy's purpose isn't fulfilled yet. I didn't know this until he told me, but until his purpose is fulfilled, he _can't_ die. Even if he wants to."

"That's impossible!"

"Not for a ghost that's been pardoned by Giratina," Valerie clarified. "That gives me hope. Roy can bring them all back… But at the expense of his purpose being fulfilled. That's the only downside."

"...What happens once his purpose is fulfilled?" she asked.

The Delphox teared up and pursed her lips before she spoke. "Oh, I think you already know what happens then..."

"No…" Amber teared up as Valerie looked to the ground in silence. "No! That can't be the only way!"

"If there were any other way… I would have made sure to take that path. But this is it. His journey ends tomorrow."

 **-Briar-**

She opened her eyes when she heard the door to their room creak open. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Briar." Basileus' voice was soothing to hear for her. But for some reason, she had no memories of ever falling asleep… She just… was. That was strange. She dismissed the thought as Basileus strode into the room, with a seven foot-tall Charizard right behind him. She noted his size and demeanor as soon as she saw him. Whoever he was, he made Vulcan look puny by comparison. His arms were as toned as a Machoke's, he had nearly no stomach fat, and his tail flame was almost too bright to look at. And his eyes… she could see the power behind them. This Charizard was undoubtedly the alpha. And he knew it, too. The way he walked… he had so much confidence in even the smallest of motions. He looked around and noted each of them silently. She stood up and moved closer to her mate. "Who is this?"

"Iden." Her jaw dropped slightly at the sheer power behind the Charizard's voice. It matched his physique perfectly. Iden's eyes shifted away from them, and she followed his gaze to Tyranitar, who was now standing up and staring at the Charizard. "Basileus, is that-"

"Yes," the Sceptile clarified. "This is Vulcan's father."

"I was told that my son… he worked closely with you all," the Charizard said.

"Yes… he did," Briar said.

"I want to see him," the Charizard insisted. "Guide me to whoever I have to talk to."

"That would be Heimdall, I think…" Briar said, trying to recall the Aegislash's name.

*You would be correct.* Briar narrowed her eyes as the Claydol from before floated into the room. *I can guide you to him if you would like, Iden Roarke.*

The Charizard growled softly, but quickly regained his composure. "Good. Take me to him."

Basileus sighed as the colossal Charizard lumbered after the ground-type, and once the door closed behind them, the Weavile twins dropped from the ceiling, the one bearing the crimson armlet speaking up first. "Okay, so that's… Vulcan's dad?"

"Weren't you listening?" the other Weavile slapped the back of his head lightly and glared at him. "Did you think there was just _a third_ Charizard that wasn't related to him?"

Briar sighed softly, then tensed up as she felt a disturbance in the flow of time. All of the Temporal Guardians shifted uneasily as the air in front of them shimmered with a turquoise light, then split open, revealing Amber and Valerie, who both stepped out of the portal. They all stared at the duo, completely awestruck. Briar hadn't even noticed that Amber was gone! How had she not noticed?!

"Amber…?" Celebi asked, then winced as the human transformed into a Charizard before moving forward quickly. "Have you found Iden?"

"Yes. He is going to visit Vulcan in the palace morgue." Basileus replied. "Amber, why were you with her?"

"Oh, so now I'm the one that must not be named?" Valerie asked innocently. "Can you all please stop treating me like this? Do the hundreds of eons we spent together mean nothing to any of you?"

"Valerie, you broke the laws that Dialga set in place," Briar said simply. "You knew the risks… as did we. Now please, leave us. You are not wanted here."

Valerie's eyes widened for a moment before she tensed up her shoulders and vanished in a flash of light.

Briar blinked heavily as Galvantula dropped from his hammock above them. "Briar… that was a bit harsh, don'tcha think?"

"It needed to be said," she huffed. "She knows where we stand… so there is no need to give her false hope."

"But still… I dunno, I would've been a bit nicer about it, or at least let her help fight these mafia punks, since she can hold her own against _Dusknoir_!"

"She has to train Roy," Amber interjected. "She senses something peculiar about him. Something that requires her immediate attention."

"Oh… got it." the bug-type shrugged and prodded one of the Weavile Twins jokingly. "How are you two not burning up out here?"

"Our Icy globe protects us from the heat," the Weavile on the left said.

"Right… Which one are you?"

"I'm Pierce. Levi's the one wearing the Ruin Armlet."

"Okay… Got it."

Briar looked back at Amber, who was staring at Connor, still passed out on the bottom bunk. "Amber… What did she say to you?"

"Nothing."

"Amber… I know when you're lying. She spoke to you about him… didn't she?"

"What if she did?" the pitch-black Charizard snarled before shaking her head and turning away from them. "It doesn't matter. We're leaving once this battle is finished."

Celebi fluttered closer with a concerned look in her eyes. "Amber..."

"I don't want to talk about it. Not now."

"But-"

"Leave it alone, Celebi. It doesn't matter, so there's no need for you to concern yourself over it."

"What did she say?" Celebi asked. "I can make you tell me if I have to."

"You won't do that," Amber said. "I'm stronger than you'll ever be."

Celebi clenched her fists, then shook her head while blinking back tears. "Amber, why are you saying these things?"

"It's Valerie," Basileus growled. "She's been turning us against each other since she first learned of our presence! It's just another one of her mind tricks!"

"No. It's not her," Amber said. "I'm just…" she turned her head in Connor's general direction for a moment before turning back to face them. "I'm sorry… My emotions got the better of me."

"So… are we gonna wake him up?" Galvantula asked while glancing at Connor. "I mean, the war's gonna be starting here in like an hour."

"Yes," Amber quickly said. "Wake him up."

* * *

 **Aaaalright! So this chapter was brought to you by Valerie's meddling. As always, if you guys enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	5. Dreamwalker

**-Chapter V: Dreamwalker-**

 **-Roy-**

He snapped his fingers once more, causing the flame to roar back to life from its temporary suspension in time. He blinked heavily, still in awe at the power behind this newfound skill.

He threw a cup into the air with psychic and pointed his hand at it, slowing its fall while keeping everything else around him normal. Then he released his temporal hold on it and transformed back into his Mismagius form, absorbing his old body into his own cloak without a trace. He tilted his head when Valerie walked through the entrance to her hut. Something was off. She never made a normal entrance; She always appeared in a flash of light or a tornado of fire.

"Uh… Valerie?"

She moved past him without so much as a second look, and his eyebrows shot up. "...Valerie? What's wrong?"

"Those Arceus-forsaken… gah!" She carved a hole into the side of her hut with a column of white-hot fire from her wand, causing molten stone to pour out of the newly carved wall. She extended her wand into a staff and slammed it into the wall, sending out a shockwave that knocked over the furniture around him.

"Valerie!"

"I'm not needed… who do they think they are? They think they're so high and mighty… I'll show them… I'll show them just how powerless they really are!"

"Valerie, what are you talking about? What happened?"

"Roy…?" she turned around and looked in his general direction. He floated forward, but she phased right through him as she frantically looked around the room. "Roy? Where are you?"

"Wha…? Valerie, I'm right here!" he tried to grab her shoulder, but his hand moved directly through her as if she weren't even there.

"Okay, Roy… come out! This isn't funny!"

"Valerie… What…" he blinked and suddenly he was elsewhere. Somewhere… dark and cold. But he could see perfectly fine. He saw… light blue figures glowing in the darkness of a pitch-black world. And they looked strikingly familiar as they ran around him. When they touched him, he gasped and instantly wept. " _It's them… They're alive… but how?"_

Then his vision blurred and was replaced by an image of Jade. She was levitating alongside him, appearing to be… laughing, apparently at something he did. _Okay, that never happens… what's going on?_

Then he took a deep breath as he was suddenly in Wigglytuff's guild. He was talking to the guildmaster, when suddenly _Dawn_ emerged from the crates lining the back of the room. "Wigglytuff, watch out!"

The next thing he knew, he was standing alongside a Squirtle, Eevee, Petilil and Treecko on top of a Volcano, staring at a statue of a Swampert. But it felt… alive. He could sense it. Roy tilted his head at the familiarity of the water-type. _That's Connor…!_

Then he woke up, staring at the vine-covered ceiling. He was apparently passed out in Valerie's hut. She lightly prodded him with her wand as he adjusted to the light coming from the fire to his right. "Rise and shine, princess!"

"Valerie… I think something's wrong."

"What…? Why do you think that?"

"I received… visions. I'm not sure if they're from the past or the future, but… Something big is happening."

"Well I could've told you that something big is happening," she said sarcastically. "Do you know what you saw?"

"You were freaking out for a little bit… Then I saw my team, only… they were light blue, like aura-infused ghosts… Then I saw Connor, but he was a statue on top of a Volcano. And Jade… she was laughing. That never happens."

"You never know what the future will hold," Valerie replied. "Even for me, it's full of surprises."

"Valerie… I was controlling time."

"Well, obviously. I saw that like an hour ago," she said as she eased herself into her wooden rocking chair.

"No, I mean… I can control it. Not just manipulate it."

"And what does that mean, exactly? Because controlling it and manipulating it are two very different things."

"I could throw a cup in the air and slow down time only around the cup. Everything else is moving normally."

"Uh-huh… Roy, Time isn't something that can be controlled by anyone. Only Dialga and the Elder Temporal Guardian can control it, and that's because he is the father of Time itself. And the Elder Temporal Guardian is his right hand pokémon. Slowing down Time or speeding it up is still just manipulating it."

"Oh… Uh…"

"Now, here's an instance of controlling time…" she pointed her wand at the nearest tree through the window of her hut, and in a matter of seconds, it was a rotten log that decomposed and melted into the ground with grass growing over it, with no evidence that it was ever there. Roy's jaw dropped at the display of temporal control while she twirled her wand between her fingers and shrugged nonchalantly. "That tree was already dead, so don't worry. I just sped up the decomposition process."

"You just… it aged in a matter of seconds..."

"That's what controlling time is. When you move a being or object through time at an accelerated rate so it ends up in the future or past while remaining in the present. There are other feats as well, but that one takes the cake."

"But you just said only the Elder Temporal Guardian could do that… But Amber-"

"She thinks she is, but I'm the true Elder Temporal Guardian, otherwise known as Dialga's right hand pokémon. They just elected her in my place after I got 'banished for having a relationship with a mortal'." she made quotations with her fingers and rolled her eyes as she said that. "I'm still as powerful as a Grand Reaper, but they don't know that. Only Dialga knows."

Roy placed the end of his cloak-like appendage on his chin in thought. "So... you could theoretically turn someone into a baby, too? De-age them?"

"I could… But why would anyone want to do that? Babies are loud and obnoxious and have no regard for personal space. And they're little. I don't like little creatures. Anything smaller than two feet is too small."

"But you could make someone younger?"

"Uh-huh… But honestly, immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. I've lived for almost a hundred eons, and it got kind of boring once I learned every form of temporal kinesis some forty million years ago."

"What the-!? What?! You're…"

"Temporal Guardians have existed since the worlds were one," Valerie replied. "At the beginning of creation, we were there. You think that was just a hundred years ago?"

"Well… no, but… forty _million?_ That's so long… how can all of you stand each other?"

"This is actually the first time in a few dozen millennia that we're all together. So it's like a family reunion, I guess. And even then, that's not all of us. Just the ones from the future of darkness. And Amber, Wigglytuff, Lapras and I."

"Where are the rest?"

"Picking up the slack that the others dropped when they came here," she said. "You'll never see them, most likely."

"Why not?"

"First of all, this isn't their era to protect under normal circumstances. Second of all, they don't have any ties to anyone in this timeline, so they have no reason to come here. Third… the fabric of time here is on the verge of breaking. Dialga's had to give everything he's got just to keep the timelines from collapsing, so he won't let any others come here for at least a millennia after this."

"Then why are we wasting time?! We have to get my team back so they can get out of here!"

"Where is all that talk about wanting to die?" Valerie's eyebrow arched as she sipped some of her drink. "Not that I want you to keep thinking that… but literally earlier today you were crying and wishing you could end it all. What changed?"

"I have to see to it that their deaths weren't in vain," Roy replied. "Since I don't know why I'm here, it's the least I can do in the meantime."

Valerie crossed her arms and nodded as she leaned back in her wooden chair. "Okay... we can work with that. I like the sudden shift in personality. Uh… But first I have to go do something real quick. I'll be right back!"

 **-Victor-**

He sighed and draped his maroon-colored Honch-Cape across his shoulders. "It's time?"

Koumori nodded silently as she fluttered across the room nervously.

"Master, are you sure-"

"Silence, Mordred. I know what is about to be done. I do not like it, but the Assassins have made us a great enemy. I do not foresee this battle ending well for us, should the congregation go south."

"M-Master Victor! Why do you give up so easily?" Mordred asked.

"I did not say I will roll over and accept defeat. If we can end this without bloodshed, then I will do everything in my power to see to that. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose, and I do not like our odds."

He strode forward, then stopped as Dawn appeared in front of him. "Well?"

The Gallade sighed and looked down to him with tears in her eyes. "The Insurgo… they're there. At the palace."

"And Castiel?"

The Gallade took a deep breath and whimpered, "Don't call him that… Please…"

"I'll call him whatever I want," he growled. "Castiel, is he there?"

"I don't know where he is…"

"Valerie is like his personal bodyguard," Koumori said. "Getting to him will be impossible."

"Oh, please. It's not that difficult," the silver-skinned Delphox said as she emerged from the shadows. "All it takes is a little planning and a basic distraction. Kind of like this. If you were smart, you would send someone to go find him while I'm here," she finished. "But I know you didn't anticipate me being here, so… yeah."

Victor glanced at Dawn, and she launched a psycho-cut at the fire-type. But she deflected it with her wand and strode forward with an unamused fire in her eyes. Dawn's eyes glowed white as she attempted to hold Valerie back with psychic, but the Fire-type moved forward as if nothing was affecting her. Dawn gasped as Valerie placed her wand on the psychic-type's forehead, causing her to collapse to the ground without preamble, and the Delphox moved her aside with psychic while striding closer to him, not even looking at the Gallade as she moved past. "Such a pity… she was strong, but unfortunately for her, she's not immune to my psychic abilities."

Victor's eyes widened as he observed the Gallade sprawled on the ground, and Valerie chuckled lightly. "And given the right circumstances, neither are you."

"...What happens if we go to the congregation?"

"That's a surprise, sweetie," she winked and turned to Mordred, whose arm blades were extended as he stared directly at her. "...Mordred, you should know by now that I'm not going to hurt you. Not here, anyways. But if you attack… then I have full leave to do whatever I wish. And I can do much more than just torture you."

Mordred scowled but retracted his blades into his wrists. Valerie smiled and turned back to him. "Honestly, it wasn't worth it."

Victor teared up and turned away from her, only to be drawn back in by her hand lightly pressing against his cheek. "I loved you, Victor. You do realize that… right?"

He scowled wordlessly, and she pursed her lips slightly before continuing. "But you've changed. I don't know how you managed to turn to this life after being an explorer for so long… But it wasn't worth me losing who I was just to be with you."

"Val… I…" he choked back a sob, and she smiled warmly whilst staring into his eyes. "I know perfectly well how much I meant to you. And if you think I'm saying this just to prove a point… You're wrong. I'm telling you this because it's true, and I enjoy watching you suffer for what you've become."

He growled and charged up an air slash beneath his wing, but she giggled and stood up, leaving herself wide open. "Go ahead… See where that gets you."

"Go away, you vile _wench_!"

"Oooh, man… Name-calling. I thought you said _witch_ at first. And honestly, that's even more offensive!" She said as she turned her back to him.

"I hate you!" he screamed at her as tears welled up in his eyes. He covered his face with his wing, unable to look at her any longer.

"...You're going to die soon, Victor. But you already knew that, didn't you?" She paused for a moment before continuing. "Who do you think is going to kill you?"

"GO AWAY!"

Valerie shrugged her shoulders and disappeared in a tornado of fire without another word.

Mordred looked at the scorched stone floor with worry, remaining silent for several minutes before speaking up. "Master Victor… What do you propose we do?"

Victor wiped his face with the inside of his wing and took a deep, quivering breath before deciding. "What choice do we have? We go to this congregation and attempt to end this peacefully." he glanced at Dawn's limp body and shook his head lightly as he walked past. _I don't need her anyways. Her feelings for Castiel were too much of a liability_

* * *

 **Aaaalright! Sorry for the delay, I was in New York on a Senior Trip and didn't have any internet access for my laptop. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, if you did, feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	6. Changing Heart

**-Chapter VI: Changing Heart** **-**

 **-Victor-**

Victor ruffled his feathers as the golden light around him faded, and he was standing at the entrance to a colossal palace. His jaw nearly dropped at the sheer size of the stone structure. He blinked once and shifted his gaze to Mordred and Koumori. "We're not here to fight. We are here to resolve any hostility between us and this kingdom."

Mordred nodded silently as a Golurk rose from the sand. Its ceramic skin was a dull grey color, and its eyes glowed with a green luminance.

The Golurk's eyes blinked on and off before he turned around and pushed the towering double doors apart, leading them into the heart of the kingdom. Victor looked around, making sure to keep his composure as the gigantic rock-types moved around them. He was in awe of how amazing this society was… the fact that they were able to be so prosperous in such a hostile environment was incredible.

Before he knew it, the Golurk stopped walking, then gestured to a three-story tall building directly ahead with an arched dome-like roof and sandstone pillars, each one at least four feet across, rising over thirty feet into the air and reflecting the sunlight overhead as if they were polished that very morning. Mordred shielded his eyes with his forearm, and Victor squinted as the Golurk led them inside. It was pitch-black at first, but once his eyes adjusted to the difference in light, he held his head high as he strode forward, meeting a Flygon, Garchomp, Claydol and Aegislash at a round table illuminated by the single skylight that shone into the massive chamber. The roof was forty feet above their heads, with abstract, yet extremely appealing paintings detailing what he assumed was the history of the kingdom. It showed dozens of Flygon, each one slightly different, passing down a strange artifact. He felt quite small next to all four of these relatively large pokémon, but he kept his facade up as the King glared daggers at him.

"...Why?"

"Pardon?"

"You invade this land… kill my bride… my daughter… then have the audacity to try and make peace?"

"I believe you misunderstand, your majesty-"

"Widow and Flatline. Two Assassins sent by you to kill my daugher, were they not? And they mistakenly murdered my bride, the Queen of the Northern Desert!"

Victor took a deep breath and shook his head, trying his best to not let his distress show. "They were targeting members of Team Firestorm, yes. However, once I discovered that she was a part of an entire kingdom… a beautiful desert kingdom, might I add, I told them to leave her be. I have no quarrel with your people."

"Yet somehow both my bride and my daughter were killed within a day of each other. Both by pokémon that you sent."

"Your majesty, I am deeply sorry for any tragedies that..." he paused as he noticed the King's composure. He was tensed up and leaning towards them, as if he were about to attack. "Now, your highness… I wish to end this conflict without bloodshed. If you attack us while we are under the rules of the congregation, then we have every right to defend ourselves."

"I do not fear you," the king seethed. "You have no idea of the position you're in, do you?"

Victor tilted his head and arched an eyebrow. "No… I don't believe I do. I was under the impression that you wished to end this conflict in a civilized manner. Was I misinformed?"

"No. That was the original purpose of this congregation…" the King shook his head and took a deep breath. "...Let us hear your terms."

"In exchange for ending this conflict peacefully… I offer you the one who murdered your daughter."

The King narrowed his eyes as Dawn's limp body was carried in by another Golurk and set on the ground. *I did as you asked, master…*

Victor winced and waved the ghost-type away with his wing. "You've done well." then he looked at the king, noting his discomfort and reluctance to look at the dead psychic-type. "...This was Dawn. The only known Female Gallade in the world. She betrayed me by coming here; I told her to leave this kingdom be. But she defied me. I did not mean for your daughter to be caught in the crossfire of our little dispute-"

"Yet she was," the king growled. "And you're still the one to blame. Just because Gabriel cannot read your mind doesn't mean you can lie and get away with it. I may rule an isolated kingdom, but I am by no means a fool."

"Your majesty, with all due respect, I explicitly told her not to-"

*He lies, my king.* the Claydol said. *The Crobat's memories betray him.*

Victor's eyes widened as Koumori was slammed into the ground by the Claydol's telekinetic power. Victor opened his beak, about to fire a dark pulse at the psychic-type, but the King shook his head slowly. "I'd suggest surrendering, unless you want to see her ripped limb from limb and fed to the wild desert pokémon."

Victor teared up and closed his beak with reluctance as the king towered over him. "My terms are as follows, enemy of the kingdom… I will spare your lives if you surrender as slaves. That is my only and final offer."

Victor growled softly, then gasped as a familiar Swampert emerged from the hallway to his right, followed by a pitch-black Charizard with crimson wings, a Grovyle, and a small pink pokémon that fluttered through the air. Connor didn't seem to recognize him, which was a bit confusing at first. "Um…"

Mordred glared at them and extended one arm blade, but the Aegislash wrapped his tendril-like arm around the Bisharp and drained his energy in the blink of an eye. Mordred fell to one knee as he gasped for breath, and the Swampert tilted his head at them. "What's this?"

The Charizard shushed him, then quickly apologized. "Your highness, I apologize… We did not mean to intrude."

"No, no… It's quite alright. So, Honchkrow… have we reached an agreement?"

"Your highness, I have no quarrel with you or your people; I have left my entire force behind as a testament of peace in coming here."

"That was your mistake," the king said. "You murdered the Queen and the only heir to my throne; Seeing as how you're alone in my kingdom, I could have you executed, or even tortured until you die a slow, agonizing death. I think this is the most merciful option." then he exhaled through his nose as he placed his arms behind his back in a mocking gesture and paced closer to him. "Where is your army located, if I might ask?"

"Do you mean to kill them?"

"If I do?"

"Then I refuse to disclose that information," he said. "Those pokémon are innocent; They have nothing to do with the sorrow I have caused you and your kingdom."

The king shook his head and used power-up punch on the side of his head, knocking him to the floor and leaving him in absolute shock. "...!"

"Your majesty-!" the Garchomp tried to speak, but the king held his hand out in a silencing gesture as Victor got to his feet.

"You don't fight back… Even when I openly attack you..." the king seemed perplexed by the Honchkrow's display. "Why?"

"Doing so would give you the right to kill us..." Victor said as he rose to his feet once more, brushing himself off with the ends of his wings.

"I have every right to kill you where you stand regardless. As far as we are concerned, you killed the Queen, and the sole heir to the kingdom! Whether you meant to or not, that is punishable by death!"

Victor shook his head and began reaching into his wonder bag, but the Aegislash unsheathed his sword from his shield and held him at swordpoint. *What are you grabbing, enemy of the king?*

"A recall orb," he said. "It brings me back to my village."

"We are not finished here," the king growled.

"On the contrary, I believe we are," he said as he used a weak psychic pulse to push them back, then smashed the recall orb under his foot. He was enveloped in a blinding yellow light, and the next thing he knew, he was back in the heart of his village alongside Mordred. He arched an eyebrow when when he saw Dawn lying on the ground next to him. _Recall orbs don't work on deceased pokémon…_

Then she groaned softly, rubbing her head and sitting up, leaving him in absolute shock.

"Ugh… Wha-?! Valerie!" she rose to her feet and looked around frantically. "Where… where'd she go?"

"Dawn… we thought that she killed you…" Victor said. His jaw dropped as she stood up and moved closer to him. "What? No! I didn't… I was fighting her, then… I'm here…"

"The congregation went terribly," he said, quickly dismissing her sudden resurrection. "Expect the desert pokémon to arrive any time."

"Wait, Victor, what happened?!" she asked. "How did you get back here?"

"I had a means of escape. That is all that matters," he quickly said as he turned to Mordred and shifted his gaze to the building to their left. "Tell everyone to prepare for an attack. We will crush them as soon as they come out of the ground."

"Right away, master."

"Dawn… I don't know how this happened, but you will stay by me in case they arrive earlier than anticipated. But if Roy shows up… destroy him. That is your top priority."

Dawn clenched her fists, but said, "Yes, sir."

 **-Roy-**

"So when are we going?" he asked Valerie, who was sitting on the ground, meditating silently. "I'm ready to fight them."

Valerie twirled her wand between her fingers, then opened her eyes and stood up. "There's no 'we'. You're staying here."

"What?! No! I'm going! You can't force me to stay!"

"Actually, I can," she said. "And I don't want you going. Dawn will be there."

"...So?" he blinked back the tears that welled in his eyes, and Valerie stood up. "So, I don't think you have the capability to fight her. And I don't want you getting hurt before going to the Distortion World."

"Valerie, please… I have to do this."

"No… you really don't," she replied. "I'm not arguing with you; You're staying here. Peace out."

She made a peace sign with her fingers as she vanished in a tornado of fire. Roy grabbed the sides of his head and transformed into a Kirlia, using his arms to smash the side of the cliff, sending a deep fissure up the wall. He shouted with rage, then tried to exit through the door, but a bright blue energy barrier stopped him. He bounced back and stumbled as he was thrown backwards. He growled and pointed his hands at it, focusing all of his psychic energy into one sphere. Then he unleashed the attack, which pierced through the force field and shattered it the first try. He gasped and smiled with surprise as he flew forward, then closed his eyes as he teleported directly to the Mafia's base.

When he arrived, it wasn't anything like what he expected. Pokémon were running around frantically, some of them equipping themselves with metal armor while others meditated on top of lightposts and others lit torches at the tops of all of the buildings. Roy stood there for a moment, completely shocked until he saw Valerie wading through the crowd of pokémon. But they seemed to be ignoring her. Even a colossal Abomasnow moved right past her without giving her a second thought.

*Halt.*

Roy cursed under his breath as an Alakazam levitated closer to him with a curious look in its eye. *I do not have any memories of you… what is your name?*

He clenched his fists and transformed into a Mismagius in the blink of an eye. "Roy."

He vaporized into smoke and flew into the psychic-type's mouth and down his throat, taking control of its body with ease. Then its voice nearly shattered his mind as he tried to move its body. *YOU CANNOT CONTROL ME SO EASILY, GHOST-TYPE!*

Roy sighed and solidified slightly inside of the psychic. "I don't have to control you. I just can't have you giving me away."

He used its own psychic abilities to snap its neck, and he rematerialized into a Kirlia as it collapsed to the ground, materializing from the smoke that poured out of the psychic-type's mouth. He hastily lifted it with psychic and placed it behind several crates in an alley to the left, then shook his head lightly, placing his hand on his forehead after making sure no-one saw what just happened. _I… I feel so strange… that felt… really good..._

He smirked and hovered forward, transforming into a Mismagius and whistling to get the crowd's attention. "Hello, everyone... I'm Roy of Team Firestorm. I heard that you're looking for me?"

He giggled maniacally as they all rushed him at once. "Hm-hm-hm-hee-hee-hee!" He went intangible and forced the hundreds of shadows around them to condense beneath the crowd, then solidified them into sharp stalagmites that rose out of the ground in the blink of an eye, impaling almost every attacker at once, killing them before they could even register what happened. He laughed some more as their final cries were absorbed into the crimson gems on his cloak, then took a deep, satisfying breath as the power filled him, coursing across his skin and through his spectral veins after his enemies crumpled to the ground. "Hm-hm-hm…"

 _They deserve this… They deserve everything that's coming to them!_ He smiled cruelly at the few pokémon that didn't collapse to the ground immediately. Only a small handful of them escaped unscathed, but they quivered in fear as he used will-o-wisp to surround them all with indigo flames. "The fear coming from you all is so nice… I might have to make your deaths a bit slower… Hm-hm-hm-ha-ha-ha!"

"Roy!" Valerie waded through the sea of corpses with disgust. "Seriously? You couldn't go thirty seconds without doing exactly the opposite of what I say?"

"Valerie…" Roy teared up and gasped as his mind seemed to clear from a haze that was set over it. "What…?" he observed the countless corpses of the mafia pokémon around him with horror. "I… I did this…?"

"Yeah… I kinda figured you would," she said. "Once you kill someone for the first time… you get enveloped by the power that gets transferred into you. It will drive pretty much every ghost-type to madness if they don't have help. But luckily I'm here." then she sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Actually... Just kidding. You're on your own for the next few minutes."

"What?"

She vanished in a small tornado of fire, and he rolled his eyes lightly. "Really? For Arceus' sake, be _more_ confusing, why don't you!"

Then he turned to one of the pokémon who was on the ground, groaning in pain. A Rhydon was clutching at his side, groaning in agony. Roy inhaled the fear emanating from the rock-type's cries with a satisfied smile, and he suddenly realized what Valerie meant. Even one taste, and he knew… he was addicted. He wanted to kill them all. And the worst part was… he could. And that scared him more than anything else.

He sighed and floated closer to the rock-type, who tried to move, but cried in agony. He didn't want to kill a clearly harmless opponent. But… he could. Why shouldn't he end this pokémon's suffering?

 _No!_ He nearly told himself out loud. These feelings were so sudden… so intense… he had never felt anything like it. It took every ounce of his strength to resist it.

"Do you have a family?"

The Rhydon sobbed and tried to back away, but Roy grabbed the rock-type with psychic and scowled. "I won't ask again…"

"Y-Yes!" it said through the pain. "A mate and one child… Gah!"

"Hmph. Do they know that you're here?"

"They know that I work for a secret organization…" he groaned.

"How sad… It would be pretty hard to explain to them how you died, then… wouldn't it? 'One of the members of the most famous exploration team in the world killed your husband'… that wouldn't really be received that well… Unless we just make sure nobody knows where you went."

The Rhydon shook his head and cried some more. "Please… have mercy…"

"Don't beg," he deadpanned. "I find it distasteful and extremely unconvincing."

Then he looked around at the countless lives he'd taken in a matter of seconds. He did that without hesitation… But why did he ask this Rhydon? And why did he hesitate now?

"Tell you what… since I have a reputation to uphold as the last of Team Firestorm, I think I'll let you go, and even heal you up as good as new! But on one condition."

"Yes! Anything!"

"Actually, two things… No, three. One: Tell your family and everyone that you know that Team Firestorm saved your life. Two: Leave the Mafia and never partake in criminal activity again, and three: tell me where I can find the Gallade named _Dawn._ "

"Okay! Okay! I'll do it! Please, just let me go…!"

Roy floated closer to him and looked into his eyes as he spoke. "So where is she?"

"Looking for me?"

Roy's anger flared just at the sound of her voice. It pained him to think that she was ever important to him.

"Y-Yes…" he managed to say as he turned to face her. His skin was radiating a spectral aura that protected him against telekinetic attacks, courtesy of the fear he just absorbed from the dozens of pokémon. He glanced at the Rhydon and sighed. "Well, thanks, I guess…? Hold on, let's get you healed up… Then you need to get out of here; It's gonna get messy. And don't betray me; I will find you if you try _anything."_

Roy muttered a quick incantation of healing, and after the Rhydon rose to his feet, he turned and ran without hesitation, much to Roy's surprise.

"Huh. That's the first time in a while I haven't been stabbed in the back," he said as he turned back to dawn.

"Oooh man, that was a weak insult, Roy! I'm surprised that your babysitter let you leave the forest!"

"I'm a big boy," he said with a sarcastic smirk. "I can make my own decisions."

"Oh, really?" she said with a mocking laugh. "Well, you found me. Make a move," she taunted him, and when he was silent in reply, she smiled cynically. "What, are you mad that I killed your friends?"

That set him off.

"How _dare you_!" He willed the shadows cast across the ground by the wooden building to their left to condense around Dawn, dragging her to her knees. She gasped and tried to stand, but he dragged her down and turned the dirt beneath her into liquid with no more than a simple look. She sunk up to her neck in an instant, and Roy resolidified the barren earth with a gust of icy wind.

"You _dare_ defile their memories with your slanderous words?! Why do you hate us so much?!" he cried. Tears began falling as he let out everything that he'd been holding back. "What did we ever do to you?! Why are you still working for _them_?!"

"Ha. You're funny when you're mad." she began rising out of the earth, levitating with a psychic aura, but Roy punched her throat with a shadowy fist that extended from his cloak, then slammed her back into the ground with a massive ghostly hand before she could gain any leverage. He began barraging her with a power gem attack while she was still catching her breath, cutting her and bruising her with an endless stream of stone fragments that glowed with a small amount of psychic energy. He was so angry, so… furious… "They were your friends!" he screamed at her. "They accepted you as one of their own! And this is how you repay them?!"

"They were lying to me! You all lied to me! You… you don't care about me!" she deflected the stones with a protect barrier and tried to warp away, but Roy quickly said, "Lopettaa!", freezing her mid-teleport and stared into her eyes. "I loved you, Dawn! You were the best thing to ever happen to me! Go ahead; Read my mind and tell me if I'm lying about that!"

"Is that why you took away my sight?!" she shouted back, openly crying as she desperately tried to defend herself.

"I took away the sight that I gave to you because you betrayed us!" he screamed as the pitch-black tears stained the ground around Dawn while he struck her down once more, forcing her onto her hands and knees. "You used me to get into my team! And I was foolish enough to believe you ever loved me!"

"I do love you, Roy… I promise..." She struggled to stand up, but he slammed her down again grabbed her shadow with a spectral hand that reached through the shadow world and held her perfectly still. "No... you don't." _All it takes is one little snap… One small fracture. I can end this._ "Because you don't hurt the ones you love. Not like this."

"So this is how it's gonna be?" she frowned and used thunderbolt, causing Roy to dodge the bright blue bolt of lightning and release his hold on her shadow to avoid being shocked. Then she stood up and smirked. "You wouldn't kill me, if I'm so important to you."

"No… I wouldn't." he muttered, then phased into the shadow realm, turning completely invisible. "Because death is too good for you. The things you've done… You're going to suffer for them. You're going to feel the pain that you've inflicted upon so many others. And when you do, you'll be screaming for death to take you, but it won't. I'll make sure of it."

"And how are you going to do that?" she asked as she looked around for him with her psychic vision. "You gonna put me in a nightmare? We both know that I'm too strong for that to work!"

"On the contrary… You don't seem to realize that while you were gloating, I've already won." he said with a wistful smile.  
"Wh-what? No, I'm not in a nightmare. I'd feel it!"

"Would you, though? I mean, you're inside your own head, right?" he became visible for a second and blasted her with mystical fire, burning her backside before vanishing again. She fell to one knee, then shook her head. "No! I'm not!"  
"...You're right. I will not try to reason with you. If you'd had any intentions of regaining my trust, it would have been now."

"Trust?! You left me alone for nine years, Roy! Nine horrible, Arceus-forsaken years! You said that you'd see me again, and I waited, and waited… But you never came back! You think that I _wanted_ to hurt your team?! Is that why you sought me out?!"

"YES!" he screamed and became visible right in front of her, unable to contain his rage. "WE ALL TREATED YOU AS FAMILY! WE DEFENDED YOU, WE FOUGHT WITH YOU…" he sobbed and phased through her hand as she tried to grab him. "And you're the only pokémon I've ever loved! But some things just don't work out, do they?" he scowled and turned his back to her, unable to bring himself to look at her any more. "Goodbye, Dawn. Do not come after me. What happened to the pokémon here… is only a taste of the pain I will unleash upon you should you pursue me. Spread the word, and stay away. The next time I see you… You'd better pray to Arceus that I'm in a great mood."

"...Roy, wait-!"

He melted into the shadows before he changed his mind. He didn't want to kill her... But she'd gone from gloating about her horrible acts to being repentant after he'd backed her into a corner. That wasn't real. And he knew what he had to do.

 _I will find all of them… Wherever they may be in the Distortion World… And I will bring them back. No matter the cost. I swear to Arceus._

Even in the shadow realm, he felt the rumbling thunder that shook him to his core. He knew at that moment that there was no turning back.

* * *

 **Okay, so this was one of the heavier chapters. As always, I hope you guys enjoyed! If you did, feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	7. Cold Sorrow

**-Chapter VII: Cold Sorrow-**

 **-Amber-**

"Your highness, what do you plan to do? He's likely set up an ambush for your forces as soon as you appear in the village!"

"Then we destroy the village," the king said as they ran to the armory, where they kept countless items and dried berries.

"How will you achieve that?" Amber asked. "It's covers as much ground as this palace!"

"My Steelix can hollow out the ground beneath the village without alerting them to our presence. Then we administer no more than a light shock to the center, and the whole foundation falls into the earth, taking the Mafia Pokémon with it. Then we will eliminate any that survive the fall. It has worked on enemies of the kingdom before, and it will work now."

*My king, does that not seem excessive for such a small threat?* Heimdall asked. *Collapsing an entire section of earth could be catastrophic to the surrounding areas; Not just the immediate vicinity of their village.*

"My bride and daughter's blood is on their hands. This is by no means excessive," the king retaliated at his advisor. "We leave as soon as possible. I will send the steelix ahead to begin the excavation process."

The Flygon planted his foot on the ground and sent a pulsing shockwave across the sand, and Amber's eyes widened as six Steelix, each over forty feet long, swam through the sand as if it were water. She reeled back as one of them emerged from the sand, close to twice as long as the others. Its head was much larger, and it was as long as the courtyard itself. Each of its eight body segments were as large as a Golurk, towering over everything and everyone else in the palace. Grovyle smiled slightly, and Celebi placed her arm on his shoulder. "Do you think that it is him?"

"I'm certain of it," Grovyle replied. "He looks well…"

"It won't take them but a few minutes for them to excavate the earth," the king said. "I informed them of the location of the village. My forces will not be far behind."

"But… the mafia's base is on the other side of the great mountain range!" Amber exclaimed. "On the opposite side of the continent!"

"Your point?"

"How will the Steelix get there in a few minutes?"

"Warp points," the king said. "There are only seven that are known on Immanis, but they are able to teleport any pokémon from one to another. There are two on the east side of the continent, and one in the Northern Desert."

"What?" Galvantula asked. "Like… teleporters?"

"Yes."

"Why haven't we heard of them?" Tyranitar asked. "I think that breaches in the fabric of space would be pretty hard to miss."

"On the contrary," the king said as Heimdall packed a satchel full of orbs and seeds. "They are disguised as everyday objects. A crevasse between stones, an inconspicuous alleyway in a village, and even the base of a specific tree in a fog-enshrouded forest, to name a few."

Amber tilted her head at this new information. "What…? We've never heard of these before…"

"It is a legend passed down through many generations of Royalty on Immanis, and not just the Northern Desert. My daughter fled from her duties as the princess of the kingdom before she learned of their whereabouts," he said. "It is a secret more closely guarded than the Gears of Time."

"That sounds suspiciously like something you made up," Galvantula said. "But whatever. Maybe the Cosmic Lords know something about it. I'll ask when we get back to the Hall of Origin."

 **-Dawn-**

She buried her face in her hands and wept after Roy left. She hated doing this… she hated seeing him this way. "Arceus, why…"

She could have ended that battle so quickly. All it would have taken is one little psychic blow, and he would be finished. But she didn't do it, even when she had a clear opportunity.

She tensed up as the mysterious Delphox strode up to her. "Did he leave?"

"Y-Yes…" she sobbed. "But I don't get it… why do I have to do this? It's so awful… Not even Victor can plot something this vile..."

"It's his destiny, Dawn. Trust me, I don't like it either. He's pretty much like my son at this point. It kills me to see him like this."

"But Valerie… Why did I have to lie to him? Why not work with him to destroy the Mafia?"

"He wouldn't have gone to the Distortion World otherwise," she explained. "Now he's completely alone. And he knows what his purpose is. That will secure all of our futures. It's one of those 'it sucks now but it pays off later' kind of things."

Dawn clenched her fists, and Valerie's soothing laugh washed over her. "I know you hate working for Victor. Especially since I finished your oath, but it's just a little bit longer."

"Everything in me wants to kill him," she raged. "He's hurt so many pokémon… Killed so many innocents..."

"But so have you, Dawn. You can't forget that," Valerie added. "I mean… you killed almost a third of their team. They're gonna take that pretty personally when they come back."

"I don't want to fight them again…" she said. "I don't think I can…"

"You have to. I'm pretty sure that if you don't fight, then Mirage, Vulcan or Magnus will kill you. And that's not what we want."

"But how do I explain it to them?!"

"I'll take the blame on this one," she replied. "They already hate me, so there's nothing to lose."

"But you didn't do anything wrong!"

"Right and wrong are a matter of perspective. I did everything that Dialga told me I had to do," the Delphox cut her off and sat on the ground, using her psychic to push the dozens of corpses away from them. "That includes telling you exactly what to do until they're all brought back."

"But my binding oath… you said you finished it… but how did you do that? If you're a fallen Temporal Guardian… there's no way any of them would listen to you!"

"I have friends in even higher places than me," the Delphox said. " _And_ time travel is a wonderful thing."

"Once they're all brought back… what then? Am I free?"

"I think so. But I'll have to double check," the Delphox said.

"But… What if I have to keep helping them? What then?"

"You're going to have to do that for a couple more days," she said. "And, unfortunately, I don't know what happens. You might be forced to make some tough choices. So I hope you know that Roy probably won't forgive you. And neither will the rest of the team."

Dawn sighed, "I know…" Then gasped as the ground beneath them began to shake. She levitated above the ground alongside Valerie and watched in horror as the earth as far as she could sense collapsed and cratered inwards, taking the entire village with it. In the blink of an eye, the ground was at least one hundred feet beneath them, and the village was nothing more than a mess of splinters of wood here and there, crushed by the millions of tons of earth that collapsed onto it in a matter of seconds.

She heard cries of agony beneath her from the pokémon that weren't killed by the falling debris, and Valerie sighed heavily as she lowered herself into the crater. "Well, then… It looks like the congregation went south."

 **-Victor-**

"Grohhh…" he groaned in pain as he levitated a collapsed piece of lumber off of his chest with psychic. "An earthquake…?"  
He tried to stand, but his foot was pinned beneath another beam of wood, causing him to shout in pain as he wrenched it out of place, freeing himself. He limped on one foot, using the ruins of the building around him as support as he crawled into the open air. His eyes shot open at the scene of absolute destruction before him. On every side, as far as he could see, his entire village had been sunk into the ground, almost as if they were trapped in a giant crater. He ducked down as a Scrafty sailed overhead with little more than a weak shout of pain. He turned and gasped as a Rhyperior nearly stomped on him with a fearsome roar. He tried to fly away, but was blasted out of the air by a frenzy of stones, crashing to the ground before he could even cover any distance.

He used steel wing to block the next barrage of stones, hardening his wings and crossing them in front of his body, then used air slash on a Sandslash that tried to impale him with its claws. He struggled to remain standing as his leg gave out beneath him, and when he fell, a Steelix burst through the ground some twenty feet away, its head a dozen times as large as he was. Its eye was easily as large as his entire head, and it stared directly at him with a monstrous growl.

 _So this is what fear is…_ he chuckled internally as the Steelix opened its maw and snaked closer. He sighed wistfully, preparing for the end, then gasped as a tornado of fire washed over everything. He closed his eyes and turned away, but he opened his eyes when he felt nothing more than a gust of warm air, only to see Dawn and Valerie standing on either side of him. The Delphox extended her wand into the full-length staff and lifted the Steelix with her telekinetic powers, throwing the forty-foot-long steel-type halfway across the battlefield, shaking the very ground itself when it rolled across the earth and crushing dozens of pokémon with its ten-ton body. She sighed and raised a defensive shield around them while dozens of rock types and ground types came seemingly out of nowhere, trying to break through.

"Valerie…?"

"I'm not here for you," she growled.

"Then why are you here?"

She glanced at him for only a moment before slamming her staff into the ground, sending a shockwave that blasted everything around them away, creating a new crater carved by the psychic blast while lowering the protect barrier. Then she placed the tip of her staff against his chest, and he sighed with relief as his crooked leg straightened out and healed in an instant.

"...Thank you."

"I take it the congregation went south?"

"What makes you say that?" Victor asked as he used dark pulse on a Golurk that erupted from the ground. Dawn's elbow blades glowed pink as she sent a blade of psychic energy straight through the ghost-type, slicing it clean in half before it melted into shadows and turned into a pile of sand.

"Honestly, Victor, I'm not sure who to root for at this point," Valerie said as she effortlessly fought a Tyranitar, deflecting all of its attacks with her staff while she spoke to him. "You're clearly in the wrong, but they're fighting me, too. So I'm kind of torn."

"Why are you helping me now of all times?"

"Because I won't be satisfied with your death unless it's at Team Firestorm's hands," she said. "And without my help, you'd be dead by now."

"Lovely," he growled. He used rock smash on a Rhydon that charged at him, punching a hole straight through its rock-hard skin as it was sent flying backwards. Victor grimaced and tried to use drill peck on a Sandslash, but the ground between them exploded as a Swampert crash-landed between them, causing a massive tidal wave that washed over everything. He gasped for breath, mostly due to shock as the water came out of nowhere and swamped over him, then coughed up water as the Swampert pinned him against the ground with one of his massive arms. "Gah… Connor… How did you get here so quickly?"

"Warp pads," the Swampert growled before being knocked to the side by Valerie, who took her place between them and held her staff in both of her hands in a defensive posture.

"Valerie…?"

"Hey, Connor… no hard feelings, right?" the Delphox said innocently.

"You _traitor!_ " the female pitch-black Charizard from before blasting the Delphox with a column of white-hot fire as she descended from the sky above, but the fire-type just absorbed the flames into her staff and rolled her eyes. "For Arceus' sake… Where are the others?"

"Val…?" As Victor regained his bearings, he noticed that no-one was attacking them. But there were two Sceptile, one of which had an eyepatch, a Galvantula, a Tyranitar, Grovyle, the small pink pokémon from the palace, and… "Iden?!" Victor snarled before charging up a dark pulse in his beak. The Charizard roared in response before Valerie stepped between them. "Victor, honey… Please. Let me handle this."

Then a bolt of blue lightning struck the Delphox, causing her to shout in pain, and an Ash-grey Pikachu used iron tail on the top of her head in a down-swinging motion as he materialized from the bolt of electricity, forcing her to take a knee and place one hand on the ground. She took a deep breath and shook her head lightly while staring at the Pikachu with an impressed smirk, casually wiping her hand on her dress. "Huh. I didn't see that coming. Well done, Aaron."

"Hmph. So you are alive after all…" Victor snarled as the ash-grey Pikachu stared him down.

"You'd better believe it," Aaron growled. "I've been looking forward to this day for a long… long time."

"It took you long enough," the Honchkrow cackled.

"Are you ready to die, Victor?"

"Not quite," the Honchkrow chuckled. "So ignorant… Have you learned nothing in all these years?"

"The one thing I learned is that once I kill you, everyone who's worked for you is next."

"Now, now… don't drag my associates into our conflict. This is between you and I."

"You don't understand... in your quest to save outlaws from imprisonment, your group has killed so many innocent pokémon…" Aaron teared up and scowled as his cheeks sparked with electricity, and Victor smiled, then laughed. "Hm-hm-hm… Oh, I think I understand what I'm doing perfectly," Victor said with a cruel smirk. "And if that angers you… Then do something about it."

Aaron clenched his fists, but flinched when the Sceptile with the eyepatch spoke up. "No, Aaron. He is no threat to us now."  
He took a deep, shaky breath, and looked like he was about to ignore the Sceptile's command, but slowly backed away, joining the circle of pokémon around them with visible hesitance. Valerie tilted her head at them, raising her hands slowly before dropping her staff, which shrunk back into a regular-sized wand as it rattled against the water-soaked stones. "We surrender."

"What?!" Victor shook his head and turned to her. "No!"

"Yes, we do," Valerie commanded. "Unless you have another idea? I mean, Dawn up and left already, so without me, you're facing half of the Temporal Guardians at once."

Victor sighed and lowered his head in defeat. "...We surrender."

Iden shook his head and moved forward with a soft growl, but Aaron jumped in front of him. "No. He's mine."

"Alright, so my work here is finished... Peace out!" Valerie vanished in a tornado of fire before anyone could say anything, leaving everyone in shock. "...!"

Aaron's fists crackled with electricity as the pokémon surrounding him closed in, but stopped as he looked up and past Victor. The Dark-type turned around, only to be struck down by the King of the Northern Desert. He groaned softly and stood up, only to be slammed by the dragon-type's tail, tumbling across the barren ruins of his village, slamming into the house-sized ruins with sickening force. The king flew forward in a blur of motion and grabbed his throat, holding him in midair with a fearsome glare. "You thought you could escape... After everything you've done?"

"Not entirely…" Victor kicked the king's chest, then used psychic to free himself from the dragon-type's grip. He took a deep breath and used quick attack to take to the sky, flying out of the crater and avoiding any stones thrown at him from below. He landed on the edge of the crater, looking down at the remains of his once great organization wistfully. _And to think that all of this happened… because of one team. One team was my downfall… even after they're almost entirely gone._

"...It's over." He closed his eyes momentarily as he turned away from the crater that engulfed his village, then unbuttoned his maroon cape from around his neck, allowing the steady wind to carry it across the sky, then shook his head briefly as Mordred was suddenly standing next to him. "Master Victor…"

"As of this moment, I am no longer your master," the Honchkrow replied sternly. "And the Pokémon Mafia is no more."

"But where will we go?" the Bisharp asked.

"I think it is time to pursue a different path, old friend," the Honchkrow replied firmly.

"But why give up now, when we are so close to achieving our goal?"

"Have you taken a look around?" Victor questioned him while gesturing to the ruins below, with over a hundred pokémon ransacking the remaining structures and showing no mercy to any of the Mafia Pokémon beneath. "We have nothing left! This team has wiped us out!"

"But master-"

"I am _not_ your master!" Victor's voice broke as tears lined the edges of his eyes. "Not anymore!"

Victor shook his head and turned away from the Bisharp. "You are free to leave. I won't stop you."

"How am I supposed to just… walk away?" Mordred asked, tears welling up in his eyes as well. "This life is the only one I've known!"

Victor stretched his wings, then began walking away from the edge of the crater and into the open field with grass that was easily five feet tall. "When I rescued you from those pokémon in Magnezone's ward, I didn't anticipate our friendship would last this long. I expected us to part ways once we escaped."

Mordred crossed his arms as he walked alongside the Honchkrow. "But together we formed a great alliance."

"And now… after twenty years of doing this… after two decades of rescuing ex-convicts from outlaw hunters, we're all that's left. Does that not bother you even a little bit?" Victor asked.

"I mourn for our fallen brothers and sisters, just as anyone would… Victor."

The Honchkrow sighed and looked up at the steel-type as they continued walking through the thick grass. "In all honesty… I don't know where to go, either. Valerie will undoubtedly subdue me if I seek her assistance, I have no means of locating Roy, and the kingdom of the Northern Desert won't stop until we are dead."

"What are you saying?" Mordred asked. "That all of our work has been for nothing?"

He took a deep breath and said, "No, not for nothing… But it's strange… recently I have asked myself why I continue to do this… I get no thrill from it anymore."

Victor sighed, then tensed up as the sun vanished from overhead, covered by clouds that crackled with electricity."Mordred, get down and stay back until I say otherwise." He crouched low in the tall grass as Mordred laid in the grass somewhere to his left. The cloud glowed brighter and brighter, pulsing with electricity that increased in intensity. Victor flinched as a bolt of blue lightning struck the ground directly in front of him, then smirked as the Ash-grey pikachu materialized from the electricity, glaring at him with a blue glow coming from his palms.

"How do you wish to go about this, Aaron?"

"Those Temporal Guardians aren't going to save you now," the Pikachu snapped. "The king may have lost you, but I won't."

"Hm. Very well. Mordred?"

Aaron's eyes widened, and he turned around as the Bisharp rushed towards him through the grass, but was impaled by the steel-type's arm blade before he could move, the metal blade bursting from the electric-type's upper back. Mordred grunted softly as the Pikachu crumpled to the ground, breathing heavily as he desperately clutched at his stomach.

"Like I said before, Aaron… I'm not ready to die. Not yet." Victor moved closer to the Pikachu as Mordred used grass knot, cocooning the dying electric-type in dozens of blades of grass that tightened around him, and before the remaining tendrils covered his eyes, Victor smirked and said, "It was naive of you to think that I was alone. Give your family my regards."

The Pikachu's eyes were wide with shock as the grass covered the remainder of his face, and Victor turned away from him, noting the patch of smoldering grass from the lightning bolt where Aaron had landed with a frown.

Victor paused, then used air slash on the cocoon of grass, cutting into the solid body beneath it, and nodded in assurance. "Now… what was I saying, Mordred? Oh, right… I don't get a thrill from this sort of thing anymore. It's quite disappointing. But... you're right. We've come too far to give up now."

Then he growled as shouting intensified in the distance. He grabbed a warp orb from his bag and placed his wing across Mordred's back as he smashed it in his beak, and they were whisked away in a flash of golden light.

* * *

 **Well... that was different. The Kingdom's tactic was pretty lethal, and we're getting a bit of a different side of Victor in this chapter. As always, I hope you guys enjoyed! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen in the future, go ahead and leave them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	8. The Father's Heart

**-Chapter VIII: The Father's Heart-**

 **-Valerie-**

"Roy? Okay, seriously, where are you?" she called into the forest, then rubbed her upper arms as a cold shiver went down her spine, shaking her to her very core as the shadows cast by the trees swirled around her menacingly.

" _Why… why did you put me through this…?"_

"What? What are you talking about?" she asked.

" _I heard you… you were talking to her… Just after I left. You said that you told her what to do… to betray us… Why?"_

Valerie sighed and extended her hand slowly. "Roy, you wouldn't understand..."

" _Don't tell me that I wouldn't understand!"_ his voice pierced her mind, and she shook her head lightly, forcing him out of her head with noticeable effort.

"I had to, Roy… It had to happen."

" _So her binding oath… was that a lie?"_

"No. That was real. She didn't want to serve them, but she had to."

" _But… you lied to me."_

"I did no such thing!" she sassed. "Everything I've told you up until this point has been the truth!"

" _A truth that you made for yourself!"_ he hissed from the shadows around her. The darkness seemed to be closing in around her, dragging her down, slowly but surely, she found herself losing strength in her legs.

She sighed and slammed the bottom of her staff into the ground, sending out a flash of blinding white light, cutting through the darkness and forcing Roy to shout in pain as he shut his eyes and rematerialized as a Mismagius.

"I didn't want it to happen like this, Roy… You know that."

"Funny…" Roy murmured as he dissolved into shadows once more. "That's exactly what Dawn said when I found out that she betrayed me."

"You think I'm going to betray you now? Seriously? I've saved your life at least four times, and I've made you a formidable opponent to any mortal!"

" _That means nothing to me now,"_ he growled. " _You told her to betray us… and they're all dead… because of you."_

"Don't… Don't put this on me!" Valerie quickly said. "You know that this wasn't my fault! Could I have prevented it? Sure. But that's what I did in the hundreds of other timelines that end up like this, and each of those branches were wiped from existence!"

" _How can you live with yourself… knowing that you put us all through this?"_

"It's a struggle, I'm not gonna lie," she admitted. "It's tough, knowing that you could prevent any bad from happening, but not being able to do anything about it."

" _But why not?! You could fix all of this in an instant!"_

"Could isn't the same as should..." she wiped a single tear from her eye and gasped as the Mismagius materialized behind her. She held her staff in both hands and pressed the curved end against his chest lightly, making him pause mid-flight.  
Roy looked at her as if he what she did confirmed something to him. And that made her strangely uneasy.

" _...So this is how it's going to be? You're really willing to fight me?"_

"If you attack me... then yes."

" _If you're trying to be mysterious, I am seriously not in the mood. If you're going to help me, then by all means, be direct with your approach. But if you don't want to help, then stay out of my way."_

"Roy, what do you hope to accomplish without me?"

The ghost-type teared up and placed the end of his cloak on her shoulder, seeming to lose all hostility in his voice. "...I really want your help. I don't want to be alone anymore… I have nothing left, Val..."

"And if I said no?"

Roy grimaced and began melting into shadows. "Then I don't want to see you ever again."

"Hold on, I didn't say no," Valerie finished. "Stop being all melodramatic."

" _Melodramatic?!"_ Roy seethed. "You think I'm doing this for attention?!"

"You want me to be direct? Fine," she said as she forced him to reconstitute his Mismagius form. "You need to get over yourself. The story might revolve around you now, but you've become so caught up in everything that's gone wrong recently that you're losing sight of the end goal!"

Roy scowled and turned away from her with a noticeable grimace. "No, I'm not. I'm going to the Distortion World and bringing them back. Even if I have to sacrifice myself in the process."

"Roy…"

"I already made that promise," he said. "Don't try and convince me otherwise."

"Wait… you _didn't…!_ " she covered her mouth as the ghost-type looked to the ground, unable to meet her eyes. "Arceus, Roy… Why would you do that?!"

"Because I have to," he said without changing his expression. "It's my purpose."

"But…" she teared up and shook her head in disbelief. "Swearing to Arceus? Seriously? If you fail..."

"I won't," he said.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Because you've lived through every timeline, right? You wouldn't have helped me this much if you knew I would fail," he said matter-of-factly.

"...Not _every_ timeline... But what do you have to say that will convince me to help you?"

He just scoffed and opened the spellbook that emerged from his skin, flipping through the pages with no hesitation until he stopped on a certain page. "What if I made you?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid? I wrote that book, so I made sure that the negative spells don't work on my evolutionary line, so ha!" she stuck her tongue out, then put her hands on her hips with a small smile. "I'll keep helping. It's not like I have anything better to do."

 **-Iden-**

He sat on the seat next to the table on which his son lay in the morgue of the palace, completely distraught after the Claydol led him to the Aegislash, who subsequently led him to the underground chamber where they kept the deceased bodies. Surrounded by bioluminescent stone coating the ceiling and the several Audino and Blissey bustling about, he sighed and stood up, slowly removing the tarp from Vulcan's face. He teared up and covered his mouth, choking back a sob as he looked at his son.

"Vulcan… I'm sorry…" he grabbed Vulcan's hand and wept. "I'm so sorry that I abandoned you…"

He exhaled forcefully and clutched onto his son's stone-cold hand. "I tried to find you… I thought you were dead…"

"...Mister Iden?"

"Hm?" he quickly wiped his face with his forearm and turned to face the Blissey. "Yes?"

"It's time for us to perform the autopsy… I must ask you to leave while we perform the procedure."

"I refuse. This is my son."

"I understand, sir… But-"

"I won't get in your way. I am staying."

The normal-type sighed and shook her head. "I know that this is very difficult for you, but-"

"You cannot make me leave," he growled. "This is the first time I've seen him in a long… long time."

The Blissey tilted her head, but nodded with a soft exhale. "...Very well."

Two Audino moved closer to Vulcan and removed the tarp covering his body, and the Blissey shook her head in disbelief.  
"I can't believe someone would do this…" she muttered before reaching into the satchel strung over her shoulders. Iden teared up as he noticed where the injury was: A gash across his stomach. His entire lower body was stained from dried blood, his tail flame completely extinguished, and the Blissey moved her finger in a side-to-side motion before placing her hand on the Charizard's stomach and nodding in confirmation. "The cause of death is… Hm?" she furrowed her brows and gasped lightly. "He's still alive…"

The two fairy-types looked at her in shock, and she looked like she was going to slap both of them. "He's still alive! Use heal pulse! Quickly!"

Iden stood up and tried to move closer, but the Blissey pushed him back with a psychic pulse. "Stay back!"

"I… I can help-"

"I said stay back!" she said frantically as the two Audino used another heal pulse.

Iden teared up, but sat down as the Blissey began humming lightly. A golden energy pulsed from her hand, sealing the wound on Vulcan's stomach as her humming intensified. The Blissey grinned ecstatically as the tip of Vulcan's tail began glowing. "It's working! Keep going!"

The Audino sent out another heal pulse, and Vulcan's entire body lurched as he gasped for breath, throwing the three nurse pokémon back as his tail flame roared to life. Iden grinned uncontrollably as his son jolted to life, gasping for air before his breathing steadied.

The Blissey smiled and shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know how… but he's alive."

Iden moved closer to his son and cried with joy as Vulcan's eyes slowly fluttered open. "...?"

"My son…" Iden hugged him and looked up to the Blissey as tears rolled down his face. "Thank you… Thank you so much…"

 **-Amber-**

She sighed in disappointment as she flew over the field. She saw the patch of smoldering grass that signaled where Aaron landed, but no sign of the Pikachu or Victor. The King had taken Dawn hostage in the crater, using Gabriel's immense psychic power to create shackles made of pure energy that restrained her.

She was still seething at what she saw then. Valerie _helping_ Victor… that was so shocking… she wasn't even angry for the first few seconds. Just surprised.

 _Yet they all escaped… Valerie… what game are you playing? And why were you helping our enemy?_

She landed on the ground beside Briar, who was examining the patch of grass that was nothing but ash now. "Anything?"

"It just… it doesn't make sense. There is blood here. That means that Aaron found someone. But his attacks wouldn't cause this much external bleeding."

"Do you think he was hurt?" she asked as she transformed into her human form. The Sceptile shook her head slowly. "If he was, there would be a trail. I… Wait…" Briar moved a little bit of the grass aside, revealing an inconspicuous pile of plant matter. "No…"

Briar extended a leaf blade from her wrist and sliced the grass apart, revealing the Pikachu still beneath it. She closed her eyes for a moment before removing the rest of the plant matter and exhaling through her nose. "I told him not to go by himself."

"Since when does he listen?" Amber asked. "He was bent on revenge. Nothing can extinguish that kind of hate."

"Aaron's spirit was more than that… he was the first aura guardian," the Sceptile murmured. "The one who taught Lucario how to control his Aura."

"What? No, that's Sir Aaron on Concordia! He was a human!" Amber replied. "And nowhere near as annoying or selfish!"

"When he sacrificed himself to save Mew… his spirit was taken by Giratina. The aura this Pikachu possessed… it was identical to that human's."

"But… how is that possible?"

"Arceus had greater plans for him, I suppose. But he wasn't supposed to die. Not like this," the Sceptile said as the rest of the Insurgo emerged from the thick grass surrounding them.

"So what's goin' on? Did we find the bad guys?" Galvantula asked before looking at Aaron's body and shrinking back into the grass slightly. "Oh. Uh… I'll take that as a no…"

Amber clenched her fists and looked into the distance, with several dozen desert pokémon moving through the grass, she sighed and transformed into a Charizard. "I'm going to talk to Dawn."

"What?" Tyranitar exclaimed. "She was defending Victor!"

"And I want to know why," she replied as she flew into the air and glided into the crater, where Dawn was bound to a stone, defenseless as a Rhydon slammed its fists into her abdomen repeatedly. She groaned in pain and coughed uncontrollably as each teeth-rattling punch connected, but when she tried to free herself, the Aegislash shocked her with spectral energy.

Amber landed between them and extended her arms, slightly shocked at the brutal torment they were putting her through. "That's enough," she growled. "I wish to speak to her now."

"Know your place, foreigner." the Rhydon shoved her back rather forcefully and wound up for another punch. Dawn teared up and looked at Amber, then groaned softly as the rock-type's punch connected with her abdomen.

 _Please… help me..._

 _Why did you do it?_ Amber asked through telepathy.

 _I had to… I swore to Arceus that I would help them until Team Firestorm was dead… Gah!_

Amber grimaced as the Rhyperior hit the psychic-type once more, deepening the welts in her skin and briefly disrupting their communication.

 _But why did you defend Victor? Why didn't you tell us?_

 _Valerie… she said that you couldn't know…_ Dawn sobbed and looked at Amber with pleading. _Please, forgive me..._

Amber clenched her fists and shook her head. _That doesn't make any sense… why would she keep that kind of secret from us?_

 _She said that the only way for Roy to go to the Distortion World… was for me to betray him._

 _No! She's not that ignorant!_ Amber argued. Then the realization dawned on her. "She's lived through this timeline before…"

Her breathing became more uneven as she realized what that meant. _This is the timeline that they survive… and Valerie knows how to make sure it happens. She's planned all of this..._

She looked back at dawn, who was now bleeding as the multiple welts across her body were broken by the rock-type's repeated blows. _Dawn… did Valerie ever say anything to you about how the rest of them are coming back?_

 _That's why I killed them!_ The Gallade sobbed. _She said not to worry about it because they would all come back! Roy would make sure of it!_

Amber nodded slowly, then tilted her head as the king of the desert emerged from the crowd. The Rhydon backed away from the Gallade, and the king strode up to her with a pained look in his eye. "Why did you do it?"

Dawn was silent in response, scowling wordlessly, then glanced at Amber with tears in her eyes. _Whatever happens to me… make sure… that nothing like this happens again._

Amber tilted her head in confusion, and her eyes shot open as Dawn's hand began glowing dimly. "Dawn, no-!"

The Gallade used psycho cut, sending a blade of pure psychic energy through the Flygon's chest, used a psychic pulse to push everyone back, then vanished with a flash of light before anyone could stop her. Amber immediately got up and rushed over to the king, who was groaning in pain as he tried to stop the blood from pouring out of the gaping wound. Even in spite of that, a small smile appeared on his face as Heimdall floated beside him. *Min konge...*

"Heimdall ... Se for, at min efterfølger gør godt," the dragon-type said. Amber had no idea what that meant, but the Aegislash nodded and wrapped his slender, cloth-like arm around the king's hand.

*Ja min Herre…* the Aegislash' eye glowed light purple, but the king took one last quivering breath, then grabbed Amber's hand as he looked into her eyes. "I know what she said to you… The Mismagius can bring everyone back… see to it that my daughter rules the kingdom..."

"I… I will." Amber teared up as the king's hands went limp, and the Aegislash rose into the sky, looking down at the small army of desert pokémon that had gathered around. *This war is over… Our king… is no more.*

Amber felt the pokémon's sorrow as many of them teared up, and a couple of them wept, falling to their knees in disbelief. Heimdall paused for a moment, then continued. *We will return to the kingdom as heroes, defeating the enemy that caused our kingdom great strife… but at a dire cost. Let us return to our home.*

The Aegislash melted into shadows along with the King, and the desert pokémon burrowed into the ground and vanished in a matter of moments, leaving Amber completely alone in the ruins of the village as she tried to wrap her head around what just happened.

* * *

 **Alright everyone, so this will be a double upload because I'm going out of town for about a week and I won't have access to the internet. As always, I hope you guys enjoy these next couple chapters! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, go ahead and leave them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	9. Don't Look Back

**-Chapter IX: Don't Look Back-**

 **-Dawn-**

She coughed once more as she rematerialized mid-teleport, stumbling across the open field for several meters before falling to the ground, too weak to travel any further. She had barely made it out of the crater. Every breath stung like red-hot needles piercing her lungs. "Gah…"

She fell to her knees and struggled for her next gulp of air. The sun was setting on the horizon; She could tell from how the wind was blowing across the field that the air was cooling.

She limped across the field after struggling to her feet, barely able to walk at normal speed. She held her hand across her stomach, which was beaten and bruised almost beyond healing.

She grimaced as she recalled Amber's last words to her. _No…_

Dawn took a deep, quivering breath and attempted to use wish to heal herself, but anytime she tried to chant the wish, the words died in her throat.

 _I had to… I had to kill him. He would have killed me if I didn't. I could see it in his mind._

She sobbed and fell to the ground, cupping her face in her hands as she wept, recalling all of her friends that she betrayed. Roy's face when she had to tell him what she had done... She loved each of them like family. She truly hated everything about the Mafia… but she was bound by oath until it was finished.

She didn't even flinch when two Sceptile and a Grovyle appeared on all three sides of her. She just looked in their general direction and sobbed. "Please… kill me…"

"Dawn, we will not do that," Briar replied. "It is not our place."

"Please! I can't do this anymore!" she clutched at her stomach and groaned in pain as she gulped down another breath, and the Sceptile placed her hand on her shoulder. "Be still, child…"

Dawn slowly collapsed to the ground as the Sceptile applied light pressure to a muscle between her neck and shoulder, disabling her entire body.

"Please… I don't want to hurt anyone anymore…" she cried.

Then she shuddered once as a soothing aroma drifted through the air, and all of the pain in her body faded in an instant. She tried to rise, but her arms gave out beneath her, and she hit the grass-covered earth, still unable to get to her feet.

"You don't have to fight anymore..." Briar's silvery voice washed over her like a wave, calming her down to her core.

"You don't understand… I had to… I still have to…"

"Why?"

"Because Valerie said that that's what has to happen… I trust her… And so should you."

"Valerie?" Briar questioned. "Why would she…" then she was silent for a good length of time before turning away from her. "I see."

"What… What does that mean?" Basileus questioned. "Why should we trust anything she says?"

"Valerie only does what's in her own best interest," the female Sceptile replied. "In this instance, it's making sure that Roy brings them all back. Everything that Valerie has done has been consistent with that up to the point when she helped Victor."

"She did that because… she said that Team Firestorm was going to kill him," Dawn murmured. "She said that he couldn't die because of the Desert Pokémon."

"Why not?"

"She said… that there's a pokémon whose fate depends on killing him."

"Well, that's obviously Aaron," Basileus said. "He's the one that wants Victor dead the most."

"But his fate… I'm not sure. Dawn…" Briar sighed and dropped her shoulders. "Do what you must. We will not interfere."

"What?!" Basileus and Grovyle both exclaimed simultaneously.

"Enough," she said. "I see no reason to interfere any longer. The Mafia is defeated; What happens from here on is out of our control."

"But Briar-" Basileus began before being cut off by the other Sceptile.

"We are leaving. Our work in this era is done," she said as she extended her hand, opening some sort of portal behind her. Dawn could sense the temporal energy pouring from it, and in a matter of moments, she felt the three pokémon around her vanish, followed shortly by the portal blinking out of existence.

 **-Amber-**

She stood up slowly after regaining her bearings on reality. She groggily got to her feet and looked to the sky in desperation. The sun was starting to set to her left, casting a golden glow on one side of the crater while leaving the other enshrouded in darkness.

She shook her head clear and looked around her at the countless bodies strone about in horror. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes. "No…"

She wiped the tears from her eyes and flew into the sky with a swift beat of her wings, soaring out of the crater and landing on the edge. She reached into her wonder bag, then grasped at the sides of her head as her vision became blurry and distorted. The next thing she knew, she was standing on top of Temporal Tower in the Hidden Land. She bowed and looked to the ground as Dialga emerged from a Dimensional Hole in front of her, filling her entire body with temporal energy and amplifying her power just by being in her presence. "Master Dialga… I know-"

"BRIAR, BASILEUS AND GROVYLE HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR ASSIGNED ERAS," the temporal lord boomed.

Amber fought the urge to look up at him. "My lord, I don't… They wouldn't just leave! Not without telling me!"

"YOU CAN FEEL IT, CAN'T YOU… THE FABRIC OF TIME IS ALREADY STABILIZING."

She nodded slowly without raising her head. "Yes, I did notice that for a few seconds… But master Dialga, I don't understand… why would they leave without telling the rest of us?"

"BECAUSE I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT HAD TO BE DONE," he replied. "I WITHDREW THEM FROM THAT ERA AFTER I REALIZED THAT THEIR INTERFERENCE WOULD NO LONGER ALTER THE COURSE OF HISTORY."

"...I understand, my lord…"

"I WILL ALLOW YOU UNTIL THE SUN SETS TOMORROW. THEN YOU MUST RETURN HERE. I HAVE RE-ASSIGNED YOU TO THE FUTURE OF THIS TIMELINE."

"Tomorrow…" she teared up, but nodded slowly. "Y-Yes, sir."

Dialga took a deep breath, as though he were thinking about something other than their meeting at the moment. Then he caught himself and looked down at her. "FORGIVE ME, I… I HAVE BEEN TROUBLED LATELY BY THE DISRUPTION OF TIME. I WILL RETURN TO MY FULL STRENGTH IN SEVERAL DAYS. GO, AND DO WHAT YOU MUST."

Her vision blurred over, and she was suddenly standing in the palace. There was a massive ceremony taking place, with Heimdall, Andreas, Gabriel, Iden and… Vulcan?!

She rushed forward and tapped his shoulder gently, making sure that it truly was him. "Vulcan…?"

The Charizard turned around with a half-effort smile and gave her a friendly hug. "Amber…"

She looked at him with disbelief and remained silent as Heimdall spoke.

*Tonight… we mourn for the loss of our king… he was a father… a husband… a warrior… a leader… everything that a king should be.*

Amber teared up as she felt the surrounding pokémon's anguish. There were at least four hundred individuals lined up, staring straight ahead at the Aegislash as he continued. *He has led us to countless victories over the decades that he served as our leader… And his memory will not be forgotten.*

The desert pokémon all grunted in unison, sending chills across her skin as the unified shout echoed throughout the sandstone palace.

She tilted her head as a massive wooden casket ornately decorated with gold and other jewels rose from the sand. Then she gasped as a wave of temporal energy washed over her. She craned her neck to get a look at the casket, and buried right in the center of the sarcophagus was a Time Gear. Its turquoise glow illuminated the first few rows of pokémon, and Amber's jaw dropped as she tried to move towards it. "That's a…"

Vulcan's eyes widened as well. "Is that a Time Gear…?!"

A few of the desert pokémon looked back at them momentarily as Heimdall continued to speak. Amber paid no attention to it. _Why is there a time gear on his sarcophagus?! How did they gain access to it?!_

"Amber tried to move forward, but was stopped by Connor. The Swampert placed his arm across her chest. "Don't interrupt, Amber."

"Connor, you don't-"

"I know all about the time gears," Connor whispered. "I have my memories of the future. And if you interrupt this ceremony, then something tells me that we're gonna have an even worse enemy on our hands."

Amber sighed and hung her head in defeat. "You're right…" she blinked heavily and pointed to the hall to the left. "I can't stand it… The time gear is calling to me."

"You want to go somewhere else?" Connor asked.

"Yes."

"I'll come with you, if you want."

Amber smiled and nodded slightly as she began moving away. "I'd like that."

She waded through the crowd and pointed her hand forward, slowing time to a crawl as they maneuvered through the assembly of pokémon. She didn't want to be disturbing anything, so it would be better if they just disappeared.

Once they made it to the entrance leading to the sleeping quarters, she unfroze time and looked back at Connor with a small smile. "Come on! Let's go upstairs!"

She trudged up the stairs while Connor levitated up on a slab of stone that he tore from the ground.

 **-Connor-**

Before long, they came to a set of double wooden doors decorated with countless gemstones, symbolizing a higher-class room. Amber pushed them open without hesitation, and Connor stepped forward into the spacious room, making sure to close the doors behind them. There was a gigantic bed to their left, ornately decorated with a privacy curtain hanging down on all four sides, and a balcony overlooking the kingdom straight ahead, the only barrier between the room and the terrace being a translucent sheet of fabric. He walked forward and transformed into a human alongside Amber, who was now just as tall as him. He raised his arm and placed it around her shoulder as they walked forward, pushing the tapestry aside before they sat on the balcony, staring into the distance.

As they sat alone on the balcony of one of the dozens of spacious rooms in the gigantic palace, with the silver moonlight illuminating the sandstone terrace, she sighed heavily and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder as they sat side-by-side, letting her long brown hair flow freely in the gentle breeze that drifted across the desert. He smiled warmly and held her hand gingerly, as if she were a delicate flower, even though he knew she was anything but frail.

"I don't want to go…" she murmured and grabbed his hand tighter, and he kissed the top of her head gently. "I know…"  
Amber teared up and pressed her head into his chest, almost crying now. Connor lifted his arm as she curled up and moved closer to him. He leaned back against the wall and stared at the star-filled horizon, eventually voicing the question that had been on his mind for a while now. "When do you have to go?"

"Tomorrow is my last day in this era of time. Briar, Basileus and Grovyle have already left."

"Tomorrow…" he sighed and wiped his nose with his other hand. "Well… Uh…"

Amber sat up and turned to face him, and he tensed up slightly. "Amber…?"

She slowly shook her head and pulled him into a kiss. It was kind of sudden, but good. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned away slightly and stared into his eyes with a certain… longing, as though she were anticipating something to happen.

Then he gently placed his hand on her cheek, brushing her hair out of her face, and kissed her back.

She giggled for a moment, then sighed wistfully, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much…"

"Hey, let's not focus on that right now," he said. "We still got all night. I can stay up a little later than normal."

She stood up swiftly and grabbed his hand, hoisting him to his feet and pulling him inside the room of the palace. Then she stopped and faced him, and he stood there kind of awkwardly, not sure what to do. It had all happened so suddenly.

Then she turned and leapt onto the massive, ornately decorated bed and sprawled herself out across its surface. He slowly climbed onto the bed and laid next to her, resting his head on the pillows near the headrest until she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his torso and gazed into his eyes. He embraced her back and kissed her again, as though this were the last time he'd ever see her.

As they kissed once more, he found himself on his back. She was lying on top of him, pressing her body into his, only breaking the kiss for a moment to whisper, "I love you, Connor."

"I love you too."

* * *

 **Oooh snap! Alright guys, this is the other half of my double upload. So if you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what's going on, go ahead and leave a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! I will see you all in like a week and a half!**

 **P.S. I can still reply to PMs most likely. I'm not sure how sparse phone signal is, but I'll do my best. Thank you all for your continuous support! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	10. The Gravity of Love

**-Chapter X: The Gravity of Love-**

 **-Connor-**

He awoke rather early. The sunlight had just begun filtering through the open window of the palace, staining the room with a soft golden glow. He stretched and yawned once, placing his arm over Amber, who lied asleep next to him. He kissed her cheek, and she began stirring from her slumber. She rolled over in the bed to face him, slowly opening her eyes with a smile, then gasped lightly whilst looking over his shoulder. Connor ignited an aura sphere in his hand and aimed it behind him while nearly jumping out of the bed.

He took a deep breath and closed his hand, dissipating the aura sphere as he realized who it was. "How did you… have you never heard of privacy?"

The Sceptile looked anything but happy to be there. He was sitting in a chair made of living plant fibers with crossed arms, scowling whilst looking between them. Connor glanced at Amber, who quickly grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, looking extremely embarrassed as she shuffled around the bed towards the doorway.

Basileus glared at her, but he didn't look angry. He seemed more concerned than anything else. "Amber-"

"Not now," she quickly said without making eye contact. Connor sat up and removed the covers, transforming into a Swampert and moving closer to Basileus. "Why are you here? I thought-"

"You thought wrong," the Sceptile snarled. Any signs of peace were instantly replaced by hostility as the grass-type turned on him. "I hope this was worth it, _Connor._ "

"Worth it? What're you…" Connor shook his head in defiance and involuntarily raised his voice. "Why do you care?!"

"I care for her well-being," Basileus growled. "It's clear to me that you do not."

"Basileus, what are you talking about?! Of course I care for her!"

"Amber, you need to leave," the Sceptile said without breaking eye contact with Connor. "I need to speak with him in private."

She complied, slowly trudging out of the room with an ashamed look all over her face. Once the door closed, Connor transformed into his human form and put his cloak back around his shoulders. "What's this about, Basileus? You barge in before we're even- how long were you here?"

"Not long," the grass-type said without so much as a twitch. The Sceptile seemed to be studying him as he spoke. "Just long enough to figure out what happened."

"Yeah; And? It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Actually, it does," Basileus growled as he stood up, now standing several inches above Connor in height. "You clouded her judgement. I don't know how, but you did. And now that you two have…" the Sceptile took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Have had an intimate relationship… It's only a matter of time before Dialga figures it out."

"Why are you telling me this?!" Connor shouted at the Sceptile. "Can't I have one good thing happen in my life without it being ruined?!"

Basileus removed the twig from his mouth and gestured to the edge of the mattress with wrinkled sheets strewn across it. "Sit down."

Connor glared at him and remained standing, but the Sceptile growled softly before his eye glowed yellow, almost paralyzing him. " _Now, boy._ "

He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, turning his palms upward in a questioning manner. "Well? I'm listening."

"You ignorant child!" Basileus' harsh tone caught him slightly off guard. Normally he was reserved, and he _never_ raised his voice. "You have no idea what you've done, do you?"

"I-"

"Do you?!"

"No!" Connor scowled and crossed his arms at the Temporal Guardian. "I don't! And last I checked, she wanted-"

"I know what she wanted," Basileus cut him off again, much to his annoyance. "She gave you partial immortality so she could have a relationship with you. Dialga allowed it, with some hesitation. You remember that."

Connor nodded silently as the grass-type continued. "But this… what you've done here… It transcends any loopholes she could have possibly created. Dialga will not take this lightly. At all."

"Then why did she do it?!" he asked. "And why couldn't either of us say no?!"

"Because of your power, and your tie to her in the future of darkness. You're the only other human that has been able to transform freely at will. Out of the tens of thousands of humans turned into pokémon, you are unique. Dialga realizes your importance. Amber realized it. But rather than fight the temptations, she succumbed to infatuation. A terrible thing that plagues your kind."

" _My kind_? You mean humans? You think you're better than us just because you're a pokémon?!"

"Better than _you_ , yes."

Connor's jaw hung open slightly in shock. The grass-type wasn't even fazed by the question! "Basileus… we fought together… We've shared blood, sweat and tears in the future of darkness... When did all of that change?"

"It changed the moment that you said yes to her."

"Oh, so I was just supposed to say no? Isn't that her job? To not…" the word died in his throat, and Basileus crossed his arms with an even deeper scowl.

"Hmph. You can't even say it, can you?"

"N-No! It's awkward talking to you about it!" he said, shifting uncomfortably and looking away from the Sceptile.

"Understandable," the Sceptile's expression softened, but only slightly. "But still… You've only known her for maybe a year and a half, at the most. We have known her since the beginning of time itself. If she becomes one of the fallen… None of us will forgive you."

"The fallen… like Valerie?"

"Yes. She was exiled because of her relationship with a mortal pokémon. But she also showed no regrets in doing so. I am praying that Dialga will forgive Amber… but I doubt that he is in a merciful mood, given what he's had to sacrifice to keep us here."

"What happens if she becomes a… a fallen?"

"It's only happened to Valerie," Basileus said. He seemed to be getting slightly emotional, but held it in. "For hundreds of thousands of years, she was a sister to all of us… And once Dialga found out… well, you know how we treat her. Like an outcast."

"But she's not Valerie!"

"But she could be in the same situation," Basileus shook his head and blinked back tears. "If we have to treat her as an outcast because of that… then it's on you."

The Sceptile stood up without another word and vanished in a flash of turquoise light. Once he was alone, he lost it. He slammed his fist into the sandstone wall, sending a shockwave across the room and denting the psychically reinforced stone surface. He closed his eyes and pressed his head against the wall, blinking back the tears that were blurring his vision. "God, why…"

 **-Roy-**

He looked up in awe at the millions of stars dotting the sky, resting his head on the ground while Valerie laid beside him, brushing herself off as the wind picked up, moving the leaves through the air and hitting her in the face.

"Valerie… What happens when I go to the Distortion World?" he asked as several leaves phased through his spectral hat.

The Delphox shrugged and froze time, holding the leaves in mid-air before burning them all with a mystical fire attack and restoring time to its normal state before shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "I thought I already told you."

"No… I only know that I am looking for their souls," he admitted. "And that they should be relatively easy to find. But… what will happen to me?"

Valerie took a deep breath and seemed to be collecting her thoughts before she spoke. "You said you want me to be straightforward… Right?"

"Yes," he said. "I don't care how painful the truth is anymore."

"Okay… the truth is… when you go to the Distortion World… it's meant to house the souls of the deceased. That includes you. And you said that you can't be held until your purpose is complete."

"Uh-huh…?"

"And… your real purpose… is to bring them back."

His eyes widened slightly as those words sunk into his mind. "Oh."

"Yeah, I just figured that out; If you're alive when you go to the Distortion World, you can't leave unless a Grand Reaper opens a portal for you again. But for you… it's complicated. You're both dead and alive. You're a soul manifested in a ghost-type's body. You _might_ be able to return once. And that's a big _might._ So if you can't get everyone… then you'll have to make a second trip. But after that, not even Dusknoir can get you out."

"Then how will I get their souls back to this world?" he asked. "Actually, how do I get them in the first place?"

"You can just absorb them into the gems on your cloak," she explained. "Then they will automatically be brought back to this world, and if you imbue yourself with a little incantation of healing, then their bodies will be as good as new when their souls return to their bodies! So they won't even be in pain when they come back! It'll be like waking up from a bad dream… sort of. Wherever they are."

"So… I can make two trips?"

"That's not a guarantee. Dusknoir may be able to get you out the first time… But I doubt you'll want to go there again. You have no idea what you're going into," she murmured. "That place… It's not like the world Abyss. That place is only the closest place to the distortion world. And it is nothing compared to the real place. I want you to be fully prepared to face this challenge."

"Valerie, you've taught me everything I need to know; I'll be fine."

"No, you won't!" she blurt out without warning as she covered her face with her hand. "You're going to disappear when it's over! You won't just be able to wait around for someone to rescue you!"

"You mean… like, forever?"

"Yes!" her breathing became uneven as she wiped her face with her forearm. "I don't want you to disappear, Roy… I really, really don't… In all of my eons of living, never before have I been attached to someone like I have you..."

"Thanks…" he wasn't exactly sure how to respond; His mind was racing a million miles an hour, trying to wrap his head around what that meant. _If I go… I disappear. But if I don't… then their deaths will be for nothing._

Valerie exhaled through her nose and sat up, leaning against a pile of leaves that she gathered with psychic, using it as a pillow to rest her head. "But whatever. I already know what your answer is going to be. So I'm done stressing over it."

"What do I say?" he asked.

"That's for you to decide," she replied as her mood seemed to change on a dime. "So what'll it be? Will you sacrifice yourself to save your friends?"

"Of course," he said. "That's my purpose."

Valerie smiled and scoffed jokingly. "Arceus, you're so noble! I'm trying really hard to not like you, but you're making it so hard!"

He let out a short burst of a laugh before looking away from her with tears in his eyes. "It's not easy, you know. I don't want to die. I want to see everyone living again. And the fact that I won't… That hurts more than anything else."

"But that makes you the most selfless of us all," she said. "And it's very admirable of you."

Before Roy could respond, Valerie looked into the forest with a dangerously neutral expression. "You hear all that, Dusknoir?"

" _I did,_ " the Grand Reaper's sinister voice echoed throughout the woods, piercing his mind as the darkness washed over them, snuffing out even Valerie's flames. " _He is ready._ "

* * *

 **Alright, so that was chapter ten! I hope you guys enjoyed this one! As always, if you did, go ahead and leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated!**

 **P.S. I know this is a short chapter, but just bear with me. Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	11. No Retreat, No Surrender

**-Chapter XI: No Retreat, No Surrender-**

 **-Roy-**

The instant the darkness settled over him, he felt his own fear multiplying by the second. His breathing accelerated as a single red eye hovered in front of him, glowing like a spotlight in the inky darkness.

"Dusknoir…"

"Roy," the heavyset ghost rumbled from the cloud of pitch-black darkness. "Do you wish to proceed?"

"Y-Yes," he murmured.

"And you understand that travelling to the Distortion World and attempting to restore lost souls is a one-way journey?"

"I… I understand."

"So be it. Roy… it is an honor to have served alongside you. I will do my best to prepare elysium for your arrival."

Roy smiled wistfully and glanced back at Valerie, who wiped a single tear from her eye and hugged him forcefully.

"I miss you, Roy…" she murmured. "I don't want you to go… not again…"

"I'll miss you too… But I'll do my best to make it one trip." Roy took a deep breath and turned back to Dusknoir after Valerie released her embrace on him with notable hesitation.

"I'm ready."

"Very well. Let us proceed." the shadows around them condensed further until a single spark of energy ignited directly in front of him, and a purple dimensional hole roared to life, with rings of black and indigo energy pulsing inwards, pulling Roy in like a black hole. He could only fight it for a few seconds before he was pulled in, and the next thing he knew, he was soaring through darkness, his spectral skin tearing apart by the sheer speed at which he was moving as he pierced the barrier between the dimensions.

When his vision cleared, he blinked repeatedly, barely able to comprehend what he was looking at. The sky was pitch-black, yet reflective, almost like oil rippling in gale-force winds. There were islands floating everywhere around him in a seemingly infinite void that glowed with a purple and green light that blended with the oily sky. Rivers flowed in an upwards direction, waterfalls fell horizontally onto another island to his right, and the strangest part was that there were actual buildings on most of the islands, including one a few meters from him that resembled basic wooden cabins. Yet he sensed no life for miles.

He attempted to phase through the wall of the building, only to be body-slammed by another pokémon before he could do so, catching him completely off guard. He turned intangible, but it was still somehow able to grab onto him and slam him into the ground. Roy spewed mystical fire from his mouth, but the attacker blocked it by clamping one oversized hand on his face. His eyes widened before the attacker suddenly stopped.

"...Roy?"

He teared up and finally focused on the attacker's features. He had four well-toned, massive arms. His skin was a neon shade of blue and his entire body was translucent, so it was difficult to focus on him, but Roy already knew who it was. "Atlas!" Roy wrapped his cloak-like arms around the Machamp's shoulders and cried with joy. "Arceus, it's so good to see you…"

"Sorry… I thought you were a patrol pokémon," the fighting-type said.

"Patrol?"

"Yeah… It's a long story," the Machamp stood up and ushered him inside the building. "Come on, the others are in here."

"Seriously?" Roy asked with disbelief. What were the odds that he'd find them all in the first few moments of being here?

Atlas pushed open the door and extended his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Guys, you're not gonna believe who found us!"

"Is that Roy?" Rose's voice filled his mind, and he cried some more as he saw everyone in the room. Vincent, Rose, Magnus, Nocturne, Mirage, Jade, Alice, Caroline, and even Manaphy and Aaron!

"...Where's Vulcan?" Roy asked.

"I dunno," Atlas said. "I thought Dusknoir brought him back?"

"I didn't sense any life returning," he theorized. "But it's possible."

 _If he's not here, it looks like I might have to make a second trip after all…_

"Okay, so… uh… the one that sent me here said that I can absorb you all into the gems on my cloak to bring you back," he said.

 _Honestly, this seems too easy._

"Hmph. Who, Valerie?" Aaron said with crossed arms.

"Shut the f*** up already!" Magnus growled. "Seriously, where'd you find this asshat, Roy? And you're really telling us he's on our team?"

"You sure talk a lot of smack. You gonna back that up?" Aaron clenched his fists, and Magnus extended his wings with a deep frown, which was just as translucent as the rest of their expressions. "Once we're back in my world, I'll make sure to give you a proper ass-kicking. Right now I just wanna get out of this dump. That's the only reason I haven't beat your-"

Caroline tried to soothe him, but to no avail. "Magnus, please. He was just asking a-"

"He's only been here like ten f***in' minutes and he's already pissing me off!" the Tropius complained. "We've been here for two months! I can complain all I want!"

"I know! But blowing our cover now will get us caught! We have to stay quiet just a little bit longer!" Atlas commanded him.

" _Roy! Come in, Roy!"_ Valerie's voice came into focus, and he found himself smiling. "I made it! And I found all of them except Vulcan!"

"Oh, Vulcan's alive," her voice replied. "I don't know how, but he is. So don't worry about him. But how the heck did you find everyone already? The Distortion World is practically infinite! The chances of that-"

"I know, I know," he said. "But I found them. Now what?"

"That's… that's great! Uh… I didn't expect you to find them this fast. And certainly not all in one place. But what you have to do now is imbue yourself with a healing spell, then absorb them into your gems. That's all there is to it!"

"Huh. Okay… Uh… Parantua Ruumiini!"

His skin absorbed some of the darkness around them, and he looked over his ghostly friends with a small smile. "Well… Who wants to go first?"

"So… what, we just stand here and you absorb us into the gems in your cloak?" Vincent asked. "Then you bring us back to the real world, and we go beat the Mafia and stuff?"

"Actually, the Mafia has already been defeated. Mirage, your father led the desert pokémon to war and essentially massacred the entire base. I think Victor and Mordred are some of the only ones that survived."

"So... we get to kick both their asses?" Magnus asked hopefully. "Please tell me that we get to beat up the two main guys that are the cause of all this!"

"I mean… you lost one on one to a Hydreigon," Roy teased him. "I don't know if you're ready for _Victor_."

"Oh, f*** off! I wasn't even trying!"

"Why not?"

"I didn't think the Hydreigon was that f***in' good!"

"Sounds like nothing but excuses to me," he said with a sarcastic smirk. Jade and the other Froslass, whom he assumed was her mother, floated forward. "Roy, we wish to go first."

"And me," Nocturne quickly added on. "If she's going… I want to go."

"Very well. Um… Let me just…" he placed his cloak-like appendages on each of their shoulders, and in the blink of an eye, each of them turned into a blue vapor and were drawn into his skin, filling his gems with their spectral energy. He took a deep breath in order to calm himself. He could feel their spirits inside of his body; Easily the strangest feeling he's ever had. His spectral skin crawled as their voices whispered in the back of his head, sending shivers across his entire body.  
"Okay… ah… who's next?"

"We'll go," Rose and Magnus both stepped forward, and when Roy touched them, their forms were absorbed into his cloak. With each passing second, his body felt heavier and heavier. He found himself struggling to remain floating before long.

"Roy, are you alright?" Alice asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he said. "I can handle it."

Alice, Mirage and Manaphy went next. Each of them dissolved into blue smoke that was drawn into his skin, and his vision began spinning from the strain on his body.

 _Groh… I don't… What is this? I have to get them all! I will!_

He tried to chant another incantation of healing, but his words slurred together in spite of himself, making any incantations useless. Atlas held him still with two of his arms and looked into his eyes. "Roy… You need to take them back, alright?"

"No… I can-"

"No you can't!" Atlas hissed. "You can't even float straight anymore! You have to get back to the real world, then come get the rest of us! We'll be waiting right here!"

Roy nodded slowly and phased through the wall of the hut, barely able to see straight. It felt like the entire world was spinning around him on fast-forward. He nearly flew into the ground before righting himself with a jolt. "Gah… Valerie…! I need to get back!"

"I hear you, Roy! One second!"

He took another deep breath before turning around as a blue and black dimensional hole appeared, and Dusknoir's ghostly hand reached through the portal. "Hold on, Roy!"

He closed his eyes as the supreme Grand Reaper's hand grabbed his torso and he was dragged into the portal.

 **-3rd Person-**

As the Mismagius broke through the dimensional barrier and tumbled into the real world, the spirits of the pokémon he had absorbed were released into the realm of the living. They flew across the continent in the blink of an eye, each seeking out their original host bodies while Roy laid on the ground, catching his breath and healing his body.

On Blizzard Island, Jade and her mother both rose from the shadow dimension as their spirits returned and their bodies healed from the burns and bruises in a matter of moments. Jade looked at her hands, then back at her mother, embracing her with tears in her eyes as the sunlight shone through the deciduous forest. "We're back… He did it..."

"Dang right he did!" the two Weavile Twins dropped out of the trees with a smile. "Alright! Glad to see you're both in one piece! Now we've got an important message! You know that Delphox? Valerie?"

"No…?"

"Oh. Well, she's with the Temporal Guardians. And she wants you to meet her on Immanis!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" she asked. "We're still trapped here, are we not? And why are you taking our revivals so lightly?"

"We've seen a lot of things, honey. It'll take more than a little bit of resurrection to surprise us!" Pierce bragged as Levi opened his wonder bag.

"Okay, so Valerie had a little theory… Since you technically died, the barrier thing probably went away. So follow us back to the beach where we went last time!" Levi said before he crushed an orb in his hand, and they were all whisked back to the black sand beach, with the pillars of ice jutting out of the ocean in the distance. Levi kicked the stone to their right, and Jade smiled as the ocean split once more, opening a path into an underwater Mystery Dungeon. Pierce walked forward and grabbed Jade's hand. At first she withdrew, but he held on tighter and pulled slightly more forcefully. "Come on!"

"I know where I'm going," she deadpanned. She floated down into the canyon of water, and much to her surprise, she continued moving forward. She grinned and turned back to her mother with a laugh of joy. "Mother, we can leave! Let's go!"

The Froslass teared up, but shook her head, backing away from the shoreline. "Iris… I… I can't."

"Mother, what are you talking about?" she asked. "We can go back to Immanis!"

"Jade… I can't go there," she said. "I've never left this island… and I have no intention of doing so."

"What…? Mother, you can't be serious..."

"Hey, we can't keep the entrance open forever!" Levi said as he darted past her.

Hazel wiped her eyes with her forearm and looked at her daughter with longing. "Iris… I love you… But I will not leave."

A single tear rolled down Jade's face as she turned away from her. "If you're just going to disappear after everything we've been through… I never want to see you again."

"Iris-"

"My name is Jade."

"...Farewell, then."

Jade clenched her fists and floated down into the Mystery Dungeon without another word, blinking back tears as the ocean closed behind them.

Within the collapsed ruins of Sharpedo Bluff, Magnus and Nocturne's souls were returned to their bodies, the light blue wisps of smoke travelling between the remaining rocks on the bluff until they reached their hosts. Magnus's eyes opened with a start, and he growled and used Solarbeam to blast a hole straight through to the surface as his entire body healed; His neck straightened out and reformed itself, the fruit on his chin regrew, and his wings were restored to pristine condition. Meanwhile, Nocturne's arm regrew from seemingly nothing until it looked perfectly normal again. Magnus grabbed Nocturne with two vine whips and smiled as he breathed in the fresh sea breeze, gazing out into the open ocean with the sun rising behind them before looking around and realizing where they actually were. "What the hell happened here? Did Vulcan's house get blown up?"

"It sure looks that way, Magnus…" Nocturne ran his hand along the ground and tilted his head at the plant life that was growing on the ruins. "But we've only been gone two months… This plant life is at least ten years old… What happened here?"

"Ah, thank goodness! Team Firestorm!" the green Kecleon brother dashed over to them with a grin. "I haven't seen the likes of your team in what feels like a lifetime!"

"You mean this whole f***in' bluff blew up and nobody's been able to figure out what the hell happened?!" Magnus raged.

"Ah, yes… About that…" the Kecleon placed his hand on his chin. "Your entire team vanished without a trace several weeks ago just after this happened. Nobody seems to know where you went!"

"So… the whole f***in' bluff blew up…" Magnus repeated with an irritated look on his face. "The base of our team… and nobody in all of Treasure Town found out _anything_?!

"Believe me, sir, I've asked every pokémon in the village, including many wandering pokémon. Many foreigners have heard of your team, but have no clue where they are!"

"Well we were all dead until thirty seconds ago!" Magnus roared. "Maybe that's why they-"

"Magnus!" Nocturne shushed him and smiled warmly at the shop owner. "Sorry, he's still kind of upset about… uh… I have no idea. You know how he is."

Kecleon nodded slowly and looked back at the Village in dread. "Well… There is a small dispute happening between a Gallade and a Venomoth near the crossroads. Might you be able to talk to them and convince them to take their affairs elsewhere?"

"Sure. Let's go, big guy."

"They don't have anyone else who can do it?" Magnus complained.

"We're here. We might as well help out."

"Whatever. When we get there I'm beating the s*** out of both of them."

In the ruins of the Mafia's village, Rose snaked across the uneven terrain after her body healed and she used hyper beam to blast the stone , looking around at the countless corpses around her in dread. She blinked back tears and slithered up the side of the crater as her winged ears glowed white, and she shot across the plains, using extremespeed to disappear into the forest, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

Meanwhile, in the Morgue of the Palace in the Kingdom of the Northern Desert, Alice, Mirage and Manaphy jolted to life on the tables where the Audino and Blissey were observing them. Manaphy's eyes widened, and Mirage instantly sat up, but groaned in pain as her body still healed from the internal wounds caused by Dawn's psychic attack.

"Oh… Man… Are we back?" Mirage looked over at Alice, who sat up groggily as the stab wound in her abdomen closed before their eyes. She grinned from ear to ear as the pain vanished, then tilted her head as the two Audino stared at them in shock.

"Oh. Uh… Hi. I'm Alice. I think we met in the emergency room with Vulcan and Team Skull."

"Yes… But miss… you were dead," the Audino on the right said.

Mirage rose from her table and placed her hand on the fairy-type's shoulder as Alice and Manaphy regained their bearings. "We're fine, nurse. You've done well. My father will be pleased to hear that you managed to save us."

"My queen… your father was killed in battle."

Mirage's smile vanished as soon as she heard the news. "What? No, that can't be! He wouldn't-!"

"Your highness… Heimdall has taken temporary control of the kingdom until a worthy successor is found. And until you were revived just now… the Garchomp seemed the most likely candidate, as his power and leadership skills were deemed adequate."

"Well, bring me to him!" she demanded. "I have to see him!"

"Right away, my queen…" The Audino hurriedly paced across the room and tapped the wall with her hand, which glowed green for a few moments before a section of the wall peeled away and folded into itself, opening a passageway that led out of the morgue.

"Audino, how long were we down here?" Mirage asked.

"T-Two days, my queen." the Audino replied. Her eyes flitted back and forth constantly, and her hands were quivering. Mirage didn't even acknowledge it, but Alice could feel the fairy-type's confusion and fear as if it were her own. She was terrified. But she had just seen three dead bodies come back to life at once. That would freak anyone out.

"Where is my father?" the Flygon asked.

"The burial ceremony took place last night, madam," the fairy-type said. "He was buried with the palace's prized jewel in the lowermost chamber."

"The Gear of Time?" Mirage asked. "That was to be bestowed to me!"

"Your majesty, with your passing, there were no heirs to the throne that bared the royal crest. It is tradition to bury it with the king if there is no-one to take his place at the time of his passing."

"But I'm here now!" Mirage's voice flared with anger, and Alice extended her hand. "Mirage..."

"Don't touch me!" the dragon-type snapped as tears streamed down her face.

"Mirage Hiekka, listen to me right now!" Alice growled, catching everyone by surprise. "I understand your pain. I'm in sync with your emotions. Right now, your kingdom needs a leader. So you have to step up!"

"But that's not me!" she cried. "I wasn't raised here! I don't know anything about the traditions, or-or..."

"Heimdall is still here," Alice said. "He can keep the culture alive. You just have to be there for your kingdom."

"I didn't ask for this…" Mirage wept. "It was bad enough to lose my mother… but now… Arceus…"

"Mirage, they need a leader. Right now, the kingdom will dissolve into chaos unless somebody steps in. And that somebody has to be you."

Mirage's lip quivered with sorrow, but she nodded slowly and wiped her face with her hand. "Fine. I'll… I'll do it."

"Awesome. Okay, let's find Heimdall."

"Actually, Alice, you're needed elsewhere," Valerie said as she emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. The Lopunny leapt backwards with a small shout. "How long were you there?!"

"A few seconds," the Delphox said as she strode forward. "But you're not the only ones who are back. Nocturne and Magnus are about to fight that Gallade, and I'm gathering everyone we can spare."

"What about Mirage?" Alice asked before looking over to the Flygon, who just stared at Valerie with a blank expression.  
"She's needed here."

"But I can't just-"

"She's safe here," Valerie said. "The Mafia is gone; Her father wiped them out. I need you in Treasure Town."

"...Mirage, what do you think?"

"Go," the Flygon murmured. "Do what you have to. See to it that we didn't die for nothing."

Alice nodded and turned back to Valerie. "Alright. Take me with you."

* * *

 **First off, I apologize for the delayed update. I've been in Wisconsin on a business trip without internet access for this last week. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, go ahead and leave them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	12. After the Fall

**-Chapter XII: After the Fall-**

 **-Atlas-**

"Vincent, move!" he pushed the Smeargle out of the way as a column of indigo flames narrowly missed them, somersaulting out of the way with two of his arms while ripping a pillar of wood from the corner of the house. He threw it like a javelin at the Chandelure that floated above them, but the ghost-type placed two of his arms in front of himself, slicing the beam of wood clean in half with white-hot fire. Atlas growled and tried to ignite his fists, but Aaron tackled him out of the way as the Chandelure teleported through the darkness and used fire blast, vaporizing the ground where he stood a moment before.

"You need to be careful, big guy. Our powers don't work here, remember?" Aaron pat his back with a small smile, and Atlas leapt out of the way of another fire blast, ripping a chunk of stone from the ground and hurling it at the Chandelure, who became intangible and cackled maniacally. "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You thought I wouldn't notice when half of the souls in the conscious layer suddenly vanished?! Hee-hee-hee! Where's Roy?"

"He's gone!" Vincent shouted at him. "Sorry, but you missed your chance!"

"No… Something tells me that he'll come back for you…" the Chandelure theorized as he placed one of his arms on his chin. "And seeing how powerless you all are to stop me, I think I'll make his adventure a little more interesting… Hee-hee-hee!"

"What are you talking about?" Atlas asked.

"I'm not going to kill you… You're already dead; Your souls do nothing for me here. And although it is fun to listen to your screams of agony, Roy is who I really want."

"Why? Are you a friend of his?" Caroline asked.

"On the contrary, my dear… I've been trying to acquire his spirit for about a month now… And each time, he narrowly escapes my grasp because of his damned protectors!" Soulburner's flames turned from purple to orange as he continued, hinting at his anger. "If it weren't for them, then I wouldn't even be here!"

"Who sent you here?" Vincent asked.

"Oh, I think you know him quite well. The Supreme Grand Reaper did this to me. He dragged me down into the deepest, darkest, most wretched layer of this dimension and left me to rot!"

"So how are you here, then?" Vincent asked. "If Dusknoir took you down personally, I'm pretty sure you should still be down there!"

"I got very lucky, and I'm the most powerful Chandelure in existence. I intend to stay out of that vile place once I rid this world of Roy!"

"Not if Dusknoir finds you! "

"Please, he's too busy with the Mafia being massacred to notice anything here!"

"What? The Mafia… You're lying!" Atlas growled. "We didn't even dent their forces! No one else is as powerful as our team!"

"What would I have to gain by lying to you?" Soulburner asked with a crooked smile. "Honestly, good riddance. I hated working with them anyways, but they always made offers I couldn't refuse. But back on the subject! When Roy returns, I want him to have a warm welcome! And by warm, I mean hot enough to vaporize him. So let's get to it!"

Soulburner's eyes glowed pink, and Atlas was hurled straight into the air. He flew through the void and landed in one of the many rivers that flowed across the sky. He flailed and tried to float upright as the water rushed around him while gravity dragged him every which way, but the river veered off to the side, throwing him out of the edge of the water tube and onto an entirely different island in the infinite realm. He wiped the water out of his eyes and tried to focus on where he came from, but the rapids were too disorienting. He looked around helplessly and watched as an explosion of fire rocked one of the islands in the distance, no doubt caused by that Chandelure. Who was he, anyways? He acted like Roy was his rival or something.

 _If Roy doesn't know about this Chandelure being here… we have to warn him! But how?_

 **-Roy-**

"Hey, I know everyone needs their beauty sleep, but now's not the time!" Valerie said as she threw him over her shoulder.

"Grohhhh…" he shook his head clear and phased through her arm in an attempt to free himself. He tried to float upright, but instantly fell to the ground, groaning in pain when he hit the earth with sickening force. "Gah!"

"Wooow. Really, Roy?" Valerie sighed and picked him up with psychic, holding him at eye level. His eyes rolled back into his head for a moment before Valerie lightly slapped his cheek. "Hey, you did it. You came back! Don't give up on me now!"

"Val… Urk!"

"I know… I know…" Valerie hugged him tight as she comforted him. He felt a strange warmth travel across his skin as she muttered an incantation of healing under her breath. That was the most painful and strenuous process he had ever undergone.

"Valerie… I… I can't do it. Not again."

"Roy… You have to. You carried most of them in one trip. You can get the rest of them when you go back."

"But why couldn't I carry them all? I should have been stronger…"

"Don't say that!" Valerie hushed him and looked at him with a loving smile. "You're plenty strong… I could sense all of their spirits return to their rightful places!" she beamed. "So there's hope there!"

"Val!" a somewhat familiar voice called out from their left, and Roy ignited a fireball in front of him. "Show yourself!"

"Whoa! Don't shoot! We're friendly!" a Weavile emerged from the shrubbery with his arms raised high, followed shortly by another Weavile and Jade, the latter of whom simply phased through the bushes with a stoic expression. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as soon as she saw him. "Roy…"

"Good morning, Sunshine. How's your first day back on Varius? It's only been like ten minutes since we came back, but still..."

Jade flew forward and nearly knocked him out of the air with the force from her hug. She cried with joy and hugged him so tightly that he struggled to breathe for a moment. "Roy… Thank you so much…"

"You're welcome… It's the least I could do."

"Thanks, twins," Valerie said, interrupting their heartfelt reunion. "Here you go." she tossed them each a small pouch, and they both opened it and checked inside before nodding with a grin, Pierce bowing slightly before stuffing the pouch in his wonder bag. "Pleasure doing business with you!"

Levi winked at Jade, who simply rolled her eyes, and Pierce walked up to them with a friendly smile. "If you guys need anything… anything at all… Just give us a call." he handed Valerie a golden orb, then tapped it once. It flashed with a golden light before dimming down again. "You can call us anywhere with that nifty lil' thing!"

"I will certainly give you a call," Valerie assured them. "Now run along."

They both sprinted off faster than Roy could follow, leaving a trail of ice in their wake. Roy looked back at Jade, who had returned to her usual frown after her rather strange display of positive emotion.

"Jade… May I ask you something?" Valerie asked.

"Who are you, anyways?" the Froslass snapped back.

"Oh, that's right… We haven't met yet. Uh… Hi. I'm Valerie."

"I got that," Jade said. "But who _are_ you?"

"I'm Roy's teacher, an ex-temporal Guardian, a master of magic, a shiny Delphox who's over a forty million years old, I could go on, dear, but I get the feeling you don't really care."

"Uh-huh… Roy, can you validate her claims?"

"You can trust her, I promise."

Jade glanced back and forth between them for what felt like a lifetime before tilting her head down momentarily. "What do you wish to ask of me?"

"I… I know we just met, and I have no right to ask anything of you… But I sent the Weavile to find you because we need your help."

"My help? With what?" she asked.

"Roy can't bring the rest of them back by himself," Valerie explained. "He barely made it out of there the first time. He'll need a little bit of support, and you're just the pokémon for the job!"

Then the Delphox blinked heavily, turning around as if she heard something in the distance. "Uh… Change of plans, actually! Your friends need help first!"  
She enveloped them all in a tornado of fire, and they suddenly were standing in the center of Treasure Town. Roy tilted his head, then gasped as most of the residents fled the town with a shout of fear, not even giving them a second look. He narrowed his eyes, then flew out of the way of a solarbeam that swept through the air, courtesy of Magnus. He scowled and spewed a dark grey cloud from his mouth that blocked all psychic abilities. Within a matter of moments, it settled over the entire town.

 ***Ten Minutes Earlier***

 **-Dawn-**

"It's nice to see you alive and… somewhat well," Victor mused.

"No thanks to you!" she snarled. "You left me to die in your stupid village!"

"I had full confidence in your abilities," he replied. "However, I did not expect you to return to me so soon."

"I'm still bound to serve you," she said as her lip curled with disgust.

"Hm. Very well, I have one more favor to ask of you."

"Whatever you want, _master._ " she growled as she knelt on one knee, looking at the ground.

"I need you to destroy Treasure Town."

Dawn gasped lightly and looked up at him. "Victor-!"

"It is the home of Wigglytuff's Guild, and Team Firestorm's base of operations. If they receive any hint that Treasure Town in danger, they will come running. And that is when you will destroy them once and for all."

"Victor, those pokémon are innocent! Good, hard-working, innocent pokémon!"

"And?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm lying," he said before chuckling to himself. "Oh, I forgot… you can't see, can you?"

She clenched her fists and charged up a psycho-cut attack, but Victor just spread his wings and moved closer to her. "Go ahead… You don't have the nerve."

 _Valerie, I really hope you know what you're doing…_

 _Trust me, I do. Just do what he says._

She gasped and teared up as the Delphox's voice echoed in her mind, but Victor just pat the back of her head with his wing, completely unaware of what she heard. "I understand your hesitance, Dawn. I truly do."

"No, you don't!" she said. "I don't want to do this! You have no problem hurting innocent pokémon!"

"Actually, I don't like hurting innocent pokémon," he said with a crooked smile. "That's why I'm having you do it."

"You're disgusting," she seethed as she stood up and turned away from him.

"I only do what I must to ensure my way of life."

"...Fine."

"And Dawn… I will be communicating with you through telepathy to ensure that you do what I ask. When they come to you… you are to kill them all."

"All that's left are Connor and Roy!"

"Then take both of them out, and any who stand with them."

"What if Valerie shows up?"

Victor shifted uncomfortably, but shrugged nonchalantly. "Then go down fighting."

"You're really just going to sacrifice one of your most powerful members?" she asked.

"Yes. You've been very unpredictable as of late," he replied. "And unpredictability is something I do not tolerate from those under my command."

"...Got it. Treasure Town."

"I want it in ruins," he clarified. "Leave no building standing."

She growled softly and teleported out of the small hut set up in Treeshroud Forest, then smashed a warp orb on the ground. "Treasure Town."

A golden sphere of light surrounded her, and when it popped, she was standing in the center of the town. She sensed the hundreds of lives bustling about in the dozens of tents and shops and shook her head in defiance. _I can't do this… This is wrong._

She stumbled when a Drowzee bumped into her from behind, quickly catching herself before turning around and looking in its general direction. "Oop! Sorry… I shouldn't have teleported in the center of the road."

"No, it's my fault," the psychic-type replied. "I should have been paying attention."

Then she felt a strange disturbance towards her left. She felt a powerful life force fly over her head and down the street. She tilted her head, then gasped as a beam of light shot straight into the sky, blasting rocks and debris hundreds of feet into the air. She stood there helplessly as the boulders crushed several tents and reduced one of the shops to rubble, then reached out with her psychic senses towards where the solarbeam originated from. When she felt the two life forms emerging from the rubble, her eyes widened and she smiled with joy. "Roy did it… He brought them back…"

"Excuse me, sir!" a Marshtomp rushed up to her, followed closely by a Venomoth who stopped about thirty feet away, seemingly out of fear.

"Hm? Oh, I'm a girl," Dawn replied.

"Oh… I'm so sorry!" he quickly said. "Uh… So I was just wondering-"

"Ryder… may I speak to you for a moment?" the Venomoth quickly said. Dawn sensed her fear, and rightly so. Dawn knew that these two were friends of Caroline's.

" _That Gallade is the same Kirlia who killed Caroline! I'm sure of it!"_

" _How do you know?"_ the Marshtomp's voice echoed in her mind, and the Venomoth used psybeam on her out of nowhere, catching her completely off guard. She stumbled backwards while the Venomoth rushed forward, using gust to blow her backwards before she could regain her footing.

"You thought I wouldn't notice you invading our telepathic conversation?" the bug-type said as she flapped her wings rapidly, releasing paralyzing spores that stuck to Dawn's skin. She shuddered and collapsed to the ground, unable to move as the Venomoth fluttered closer.

"Hey!"

The Venomoth tilted her head as a Cacturne and Tropius rushed closer, and the Cacturne pointed his hand at her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Plague. Are you a part of Team Firestorm?"

"Yeah; Why did you attack this Gallade?"

"You…" Plague gasped and looked between the three of them, noting the small crowd that had gathered around them with minimal interest. "You weren't here for that…?"

"Yeah, we're kind of back from the Distortion World," the Tropius growled. "What did we miss?"

Dawn teared up as she felt the paralyzing spores wear off. "I'm sorry…"

She emitted a psychic pulse that knocked everyone back and collapsed several shops around them.

"I'm Dawn, and I killed Team Firestorm!" she announced to the crowd of pokémon, who began panicking and running. She teleported out of the way of Magnus' Solarbeam, then punched the Cacturne in the throat as she rematerialized in front of him.

 _Fight them._ Victor's voice pierced her mind before her psychic vision suddenly went completely black.

 _What?! No! I can't see! What happened?!_

Then she was hit from the side by the Cacturne, who knocked her directly into another pokémon. She stumbled and tried to teleport away, but whatever was blocking her psychic vision also disabled her teleporting. She was truly in darkness for the first time in her life.

She groaned in pain as another pokémon punched the side of her face, and she fell to the ground. She cried and tried to use psycho cut, but the energy blade dispersed into thin air, leaving her defenseless as she was hit from behind by a razor leaf attack. She shouted in pain as the razor-sharp leaves sliced her back open and tried to use wish to heal herself, but before she could, she stopped and teared up as her vision seemed to clear. Before she knew it, she could see as clear as day. There was still a thick fog around her, but she could see her own hands. She caught the Cacturne's next swing and slashed across his chest, being careful not to cut too deep as he disappeared into the thick fog, but she was knocked on her face from a shadow ball that appeared in front of her nearly as soon as the grass-type vanished.

" _Victor… I'm getting destroyed! They'll kill me!"_

" _I said fight! You will defeat them!"_ the Honchkrow's voice said.

Dawn used mimic to launch a shadow ball at the shadowy entity through the fog, but it was absorbed by Alice harmlessly, who leapt forward and kicked her chest, flipping backwards off of her and launching another shadow-ball in midair. Dawn caught it with psychic and dispelled it, then turned just in time to be body slammed by Vulcan. She tumbled across the ground and was repeatedly pummelled until she was pinned against the wall of Electivire's shop. The fog thinned out just enough for her to see how many there were. Roy floated forward and stared at her with tears of pain in his eyes.

"Roy… please, stop!"

He opened his mouth with notable hesitation, and she teared up as an orange light formed at the back of his throat.

"Please, just talk to me!"

"There's nothing to talk about," Vulcan growled as he superheated his hand, burning her throat while crushing her at the same time. "You killed us, Dawn."

"Did you think we wouldn't take it personally?" Jade asked as she fired an ice beam from her mouth, freezing Dawn's arm to the side of the building. She tried to shatter the ice with psychic, but the fog thickened, and she felt all of her psychic energy being absorbed by the ominous mist, rendering her immense mental strength useless. She saw Roy's eyes glowing white, seeming to control the fog.

"Roy, why did you restore my sight this time?!"

"Oh, that wasn't him," a new voice replied. Dawn tilted her head as Valerie emerged from the fog with a sly smile. "That was me. _I_ wanted you to see them, Dawn."

She struggled to free herself, then stopped when she noticed that none of them were moving.

"...Valerie?"

"See, I just figured out how to restore your sight without sacrificing a portion of my soul, so I figured I'd do you a favor for all the trouble I've put you through."

"...Why?"

"Why not?" Valerie responded with her hands raised in a questioning manner. "I've got somewhere to be in about seven seconds, so let's make it quick."

"What?"

"I'm a busy pokémon, you know! Not everything I do revolves around you and Roy!"

"I- I know. I know. What do I do next? All you've told me is that I have to keep helping them." she forced those last few words out even though it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"If I told you that then it would ruin the fun!" Valerie said with a sarcastic grin. Then she tapped her wrist and shrugged her shoulders. "Time's up. I gotta go, so… good luck!"

"Wait, Valerie-!"

Before she could finish the sentence, the silver-skinned Delphox vanished in a tornado of fire, and she was back in reality. Her strength was being drained by the second as Vulcan held his hand over her throat, pinning her to the wall.

"No… I can't do this anymore…" she kneed Vulcan's stomach and mega evolved, enveloping herself in the signature purple sphere that shattered a moment later. She broke out of the icy shackles and twirled in a circle, making everyone else back away to avoid her massive elbow blades. She looked at Roy with tears in her eyes and nearly sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

She turned and ran as fast as she could out of the fog, and as soon as she felt her psychic strength return, she teleported away.

* * *

 **Yet another heart-wrenching moment. I apologize for the late posting again, I promise I'll do better. I've just been on a lot of trips out of town over the summer and get caught up with working on other stories. But as always, I hope you guys enjoyed! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, go ahead and leave them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	13. A Man of His Word

**-Chapter XIII: A Man of His Word-**

 **-Amber-**

She slowly trudged up the stairs of the hill leading to Wigglytuff's guild, ignoring the battle ensuing in Treasure Town. She climbed to the top of the hill and called down into the hole beneath the grate. "It's Amber. I wish to speak to the Guildmaster!"

With a loud metallic clang, the gate in front of her raised out of the ground. She clutched at her stomach as the strange sensation seemed to intensify by the second.

"YOU MAY ENTER!"

She shuffled forward, making sure to stay in her Charizard form as she climbed down the ladder into the first underground level.

"Amber? What is the meaning of this? The Guildmaster has been acting strange ever since that Marshtomp showed up," Chatot said as he flew up to meet her.

"What Marshtomp?"

"You mean you haven't seen him?" Chatot asked. "He left a few minutes before you arrived!"

"I came straight from the Northern Desert," she replied. "I need to speak to Wigglytuff. Now."

"Ah… Right. Well, if you will follow me, please." he turned around and dove down the ladder, and she followed closely behind.

"By any chance, Amber, do you know what's going on in town?" Chatot asked as she followed him to the double wooden doors. "There was a minor earthquake a few minutes ago; Nothing serious, it just gave a few of the apprentices quite the scare."

"I don't know, Chatot. I just got here."

"...Forgive me, I haven't quite been myself recently..." Chatot murmured as he looked to the ground with a small frown.

"It's fine," she replied absently.

"Hm." Chatot knocked his beak on the door and slowly cracked it open. "Guildmaster? It's Chatot! Amber wishes to speak to you!"

"Come in!"

The doors moved open, and Amber quickly moved into the room, transforming back into her human form with a sigh of relief. She sat on the floor and crossed her legs, taking deep, heavy breaths.

"Amber? Are you alright?"

"No… I feel… sick."

"Sick? We don't get sick…" Wigglytuff placed a hand on his chin in thought, then smiled and gestured to Chatot. "Can you get Chimecho to make some juice for her, please?"

"Right away, Guildmaster!" Chatot hurried out of the chamber, and once the door was closed, Wigglytuff turned around and looked out the window overlooking Treasure Town. The fog had seemed to clear up, but Wigglytuff looked even more unsettled than when she had last seen him.

"...Valerie is interfering too much," he eventually said.

"I know; She won't leave us alone," she said.

"No; I mean even within Team Firestorm. You recognize Caroline, right?"

Amber nodded in confirmation, and Wigglytuff closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Well… Valerie brought her partner from the same timeline she came from. A Marshtomp named Ryder."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he replied. "And that's what worries me."

"Wigglytuff, you're never this serious; What's gotten into you?"

"I've never been in this position before," he admitted. "I've never had a reason not to be happy. But now… there's too much at stake right now." Then he turned back to her and placed a hand on his chin. "So have you had any success in figuring out your… sickness?" he asked Amber, who sat cross-legged in the center of his room.

"I don't know, Wigglytuff… I feel… strange. As if time itself is relying on my very existence…"

"That's impossible, though… right?" the pink fluffball wondered aloud. "Dialga bears that burden so we can keep the temporal fabric in one piece."

"Unless Connor… No, that's impossible… Dialga would never forgive me if that were the case..."

Wigglytuff placed a hand on his chin and tilted his head slightly. "You got a secret you want to tell me?"

"No. Not now. Not here." she quickly stood up, clutching at her stomach and slammed open the double-set doors with her shoulder after transforming into a pitch-black Charizard.

"That's fine. I can keep a secret! Just let me know when you're ready!"

"Just… don't say _anything_ to the others." she growled. "When Dialga finds out… It won't end well for any of us."

"You got it! ...What was the secret?"

"Just... act normal. Please?" she half-begged him.

"Okey dokey! Got it!"

 **-3rd Person-**

Connor leaned against the side of the tree, closing his eyes and honing his strength. He had left the palace shortly after Amber and Basileus. The last conversation he had with her still rung loud and clear in his memories.

" _Connor… I'm leaving."_

"What? It's not sundown yet!"

" _Grovyle, Celebi and Briar have already left. Tyranitar and Galvantula will return to their assigned eras shortly. I must go as well."_

"Where are you going? Back to the future?"

" _For now… I must see to it that the future of light is assured for generations to come. Dialga re-assigned one of the others to my previous era."  
_ "Then I'm coming with you!"

"No… Connor, you can't."

"Why not?!"

She turned away from him without another word and vanished in a flash of turquoise light.

* * *

He opened his eyes and held his hands in front of him. "Avata portti tulevaisuuteen!"

He flinched as a blue spark of energy formed in midair, then smiled as it expanded and grew until it was several feet across, pulsing with temporal energy. He stepped towards the newly opened dimensional hole, staring into its pulsing rings of black and electric blue light. He reached his hand forward in awe, only to be thrown backwards by an invisible force. He slid across the ground and flipped to his feet mid-tumble, upturning the thick carpet of foliage beneath his feet and goliath hands.

"Valerie… Stay away," Connor warned her as he concentrated two aura spheres in his palms, which he pointed directly at her. "I want to do this."

The silver-skinned Delphox sighed and pointed her wand at him, making his aura flicker and forcing his aura spheres to retract into his open palms. "Sorry Connor… But for the future's sake, I can't allow that."

"I'm warning you, one last time… Leave me alone." the human tried his best to glare at her, but she took one step forward as a sly smirk stretched across her face. "Or what? You gonna zap me with those little aura bolts?"

"I have nothing to do with this team anymore! They're all gone, Val!"

"But we have to change that! If you go back to the future-"

He blasted his aura bolts at her, when suddenly they slowed down in midair, and she stepped casually to the side, watching them as they sailed past her face and exploded harmlessly against the nearby trees. Then she turned back to him with an annoyed sigh. " _If you go back to the future_ , then everything in this timeline that we've worked to accomplish will vanish!"

He tried to move, but he found that his movement was sluggish and exhausting, as if he was submerged in tar. Valerie moved forward, and he closed his eyes, focusing on increasing his aura to negate any negative effects. He groaned and planted his hands on the ground, sending a shockwave across the earth and knocking Valerie off balance and releasing the time lock over him.

He sprinted forward and tried to leap into the portal, but Valerie's wand extended into a full-length staff in the blink of an eye, and she slammed it into his back, forcing him into the ground before he could touch the portal. He shot her in the face with an aura bolt as he rolled to his feet, and she stumbled backwards as it made direct contact, exploding in her face. She wiped her nose with her forearm, which had a small trickle of blood running down it, then let out a short laugh as she observed the crimson shine on her fur. "Seriously? That's the best you could do?"

He closed his eyes and honed his aura vision, focusing on her outline until it vanished. He opened his eyes and grunted in pain as he was slammed in the chest with the butt end of her staff, knocking him flat on his back. She laughed and raised her arms at him tauntingly. "With how powerful they kept saying you are, I expected more of a challenge."

"I'm a bit rusty," he admitted. "Why do you want me here so badly?"

"Your team needs you! That should be reason enough!" she held the end of her staff to his chest as he tried to sit up. "Stay down if you know what's good for you."

"What's good for me is going back to the future!"

He vanished in a flash of blue light, and Valerie pointed her wand at the dimensional hole, forcing Connor to re-appear, negating his invisibility spell and stopping him in his tracks. "No. It's not. Why are you _really_ going back?"

"Because I want to see the future that we created! With Grovyle and Celebi and Amber!"

"Dialga can do that any time you want! You can't go back to the future like this, otherwise our entire branch of reality is done for!"

He slowly pointed his hand at her, and she moved it to the side with her staff as he stood there, suspended in time. "You can't beat me, Connor. I've just been messing with you."

"Watch… me…" he said in slow-motion.

"Nope." she held her staff in both hands and swung it into the side of his head, knocking him out cold. Then she closed the dimensional hole as he crumpled to the ground and sighed, looking up at the sky and holding her palms open in a questioning manner. "Well? Arceus, do you mind explaining all this? Why you let him lose his memories? And why I had to stop him from going to the future in such a violent way?"

" _It is all necessary. Every one of you plays an essential role. For Roy to fulfill his destiny, he needs to believe that he is completely alone."_ the god's voice shook the trees around her and filled her head, forcing her to take a knee out of respect. Even she knew she was no match for him.

"But why? Why are you putting him through this?! He doesn't deserve that kind of heartbreak! No-one does!" she shouted at the sky, where she pictured he was.

" _Why do you concern yourself with his well-being?"_

"I… I don't. I just want to get out of this time."

" _No. You could have left long ago. You stayed. Tell me… why, when you could have left all this behind and gone back to your old way of living, did you choose to stay and help?"_

"I got bored with not doing anything."

" _That is not like you, Valerie. Tell me the truth."_

"...Fine; I _might_ have gotten more attached to him than I originally anticipated."

" _Him?"_

"Him, them, same difference," she crossed her arms with a scowl, and the creators' voice chuckled warmly. " _You are fond of him."_

"Not really _fond of_ him, per se… more along the lines of 'I actually care if he dies'."

" _Is that because he must live to assure their fated future? Or other reasons?"_

"The first one," she quickly said. "Dialga will tell you; Connor and Roy are both needed to secure the girl's future, who in turn will secure ours."

" _I know why they need to live. Do not try to tell me what you think you know."_

"I just…" she threw her hands in the air and paced back and forth between the trees in frustration. "I need to know why! Why go through all this trouble?! Why let Dawn serve an evil pokémon against her will?! Why not just let everything be all happy-go-lucky and not have any problems, since it kind of has to be that way for the future anyways?! Is it just because we needed a story? Is that it?"

" _She made a binding oath in my name. Those are not to be taken lightly."_

"Even if she isn't all there in the head? I mean, at the time, her mate _was_ _just_ killed pretty much in front of her eyes. Then Victor swoops in and is all like, 'Hey, you should work for us, because we can give you revenge on Aaron and restore your sight if you do'. How is she supposed to say no to that?! And a binding oath to kill other pokémon? You're seriously holding her to that?"

" _And all of the events that have happened up until now are completely necessary. Dawn's betrayal, the war of the kingdom of the sands, the temporal guardians being unable to stay in this timeline, Roy bringing them all back to life… everything is according to my plan."_

"I… I don't get it…" she shook her head lightly and wiped a single tear from her eye. "What did they do to deserve it?"

" _All will be clear in time."_

"In time? I think we deserve an answer! I've lived through this timeline hundreds of times, and I still have no clue how to prevent this heartbreak!"  
Her lamenting was cut short when she was punched in the side of the head by a mega-evolved Swampert's fist. She was knocked sideways and nearly fell over from the force of the blow, stumbling and catching herself on one of the trees surrounding them. She shook her head and blinked in shock, amazed that Connor had managed to regain consciousness and transform so suddenly without alerting her.

"That was a cheap shot, you know..." she said as she held her staff in both hands and used a recovery spell to get rid of her headache. "You think that just because you have a type advantage, you can win?"

"I know I'll have to try my hardest to win, but yeah," the hulking water-type said.

"Your best doesn't stand a chance," Valerie mocked. "That was a focus punch, right? You couldn't even get me to take a knee, and you had a clear shot. And you're mega evolved!"

Connor shifted nervously, and she just rolled her eyes lightly. "I'm really not in the mood to fight you…"

"Why? Are you scared?"

"Tch. Not in the slightest," she sneered. "Actually, it's quite the opposite. You're not even worth my time."

She turned and began walking away, then closed her eyes, knowing full well that Connor was about to attack. She turned on a dime and enveloped the hydro pump in psychic, swirling it around her and sending it flying straight back into him, pummeling him with his own attack. "Goodness me, you really _were_ a dirty fighter in the future! Using underhanded tactics like attacking an opponent who turned their back to you… I'm disappointed."

He snarled and stood up again, and Valerie arched an eyebrow at him. "Still asking for more, I see… Very well. If I have to beat some sense into you, then so be it."

She teleported in front of him and slammed her staff into his head with so much force that he was knocked onto his side, groaning in pain. The psychic energy in the staff prevented it from breaking from the force of the blow. The Swampert shook his head, clearly shocked at the power behind her blows. But she slumped her shoulders and leaned against her staff, resting her chin on the top as she looked at him with a confident smirk. "Are you done yet?"

His head fins were surrounded by a faint purple glow, and she pushed the end of her staff into the ground, negating his ancient power attack with her own psychic energy. "Connor, please… I don't know what I have to do to get you to stop!"

"Let me go back to the future!" he roared. "It's my home!"

"Not anymore!" she raised her voice as the Swampert rushed at her again, but she casually sidestepped and effortlessly parried every single one of his punches in rapid succession, deflecting his aqua-jet boosted swings into the ground. "The future was what you and Grovyle worked to change. And you succeeded. Now your home is here, with your new family! Your team! Vulcan and Vincent and Atlas and Rose! All of them!"

"I don't know them!" he cried in desperation. "Grovyle, Celebi and Amber are the only ones I know! And they're all in the future!"

"Connor, sometimes people are only in your life for brief periods of time. It may seem like forever, and some friendships may actually last a long while… but you and Grovyle… you were only friends because the future needed to be fixed, and the prophecy was about you and him working together."

"You don't know that! We've fought together-"

"To fix the future. Aside from that, you two don't know the first thing about each other. Tell me what you really know about him? You didn't even know he was a Temporal Guardian until he had to tell you."

"SHUT UP!" he slammed his fists into the ground and triggered an earthquake that made his ancient power attack seem puny by comparison. She levitated above the carnage and raised her hands in a questioning manner as he shot another hydro pump at her. She floated out of the way and called down to him. "You're getting defensive, which means you see that my point's valid. Connor, I know you don't want to hear this. Especially not from me… but even if you were to go back to the future… it won't be all sunshine and rainbows like you'd imagine. That future is directly tied to the events here. If you leave… and your team is eliminated for good… then all that you've worked for will be for nothing."

"You don't know that!"

"Actually, I do," she replied annoyedly. She had a slight urge to knock him out, but she decided against it. She enjoyed talking like this. In the heat of combat. Because that is when ones true colors shine.

She deflected another hydro pump, then paused when Arceus' voice boomed in her mind.

" _Do it now."_

"What? Do what?" she asked out loud.

" _Restore his memories."_

"I've been trying to do that for forever! Nothing works!"

She groaned annoyedly and pointed her wand at the Swampert once more. "Palauttaa hänen mielessään."

As soon as she said those words, the wind picked up, shaking the trees around them and blowing leaves in a circular pattern around the Swampert. When the wind died down, his eyes widened, and when he looked at her, he collapsed to the ground, sobbing.

"Uh… Connor?"

"I remember… Valerie, I'm so sorry…"

"How the-?! Seriously?!" she looked up to the sky and resisted the urge to use profane gestures towards the creator. _And why didn't you do that before? Huh?_  
 _It was not his time._

 _Oh, for the love of- why not?!_

"Valerie… Thank you for not giving up on me." Connor said from the ground.

"What? Oh, it's fine. I wasn't about to let you leave this era."

 _Arceus, why the hell did you wait so long?_

 _You dare speak to me that way?_

 _You know what I meant. Now please answer me!_

Silence. She clenched her fists and turned back to Connor, who remained in his Swampert form. "So… you're good? You remember everything?"  
"I do… Including what I didn't remember."

"Oh, that's gotta be weird," she joked. "But that's good. At least you remember what's going on. Treasure Town's kind of a mess right now, but it'll be fine. Let's get you back to your team."

* * *

 ** _Alright! Here's chapter 13! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed that little battle! As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, go ahead and leave them in the form of a review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!_**

 ** _-PL_**


	14. Red Sorrow

**-Chapter XIV: Red Sorrow-**

 **-Dawn-**

She materialized inside of Victor's base and fell to her hands and knees, catching her breath from the beatdown she just received.

"Why are you here?" Victor asked with a disapproving scowl.

"They would have killed me! I'm lucky to be alive!"

She was suddenly struck down by a steel wing attack to the back of her head. She gasped and fell to the ground, then groaned in pain as Victor used gust to blow her against the wall. "My orders were explicit. Destroy Treasure Town. Eliminate Team Firestorm. You did neither. Now Roy has brought them back because you couldn't do one simple task."

"You can't treat me like this!"

"Can't I? You've done horrible, unspeakable things. Unforgivable things. Who else would have you? Where else could you possibly go?"

"Anywhere but here! I'm sick of fighting, and I'm sick of you!" she tried to push him back with a psychic pulse, but he shrugged it off and pressed his steel-hard wing into her throat while Mordred paralyzed her with thunder wave. "You forget your place here, child."

"Victor, Roy approaches. I can sense him," Mordred said.

Victor smirked and pat the top of her head gently. "...Another time, perhaps. Kill him, Dawn. Otherwise I will do it for you," Victor said as he flew up to a section of stone that overlooked the main chamber.

"I'd rather die than help you!"

"That's not a luxury you have right now, I'm afraid," Victor said.

 _Valerie… Please, help…_

 **-Roy-**

"There he is- urk!"

Roy rolled his eyes as the shadows rose from the walls and impaled the Magmar and Emboar from multiple sides.

"I thought that you all died in that crater… What a pity."

The pair of fire-types collapsed to the ground wordlessly, their eyes wide with shock after the shadows melted back into the ground, and he floated down the narrow hall, making sure to follow the psychic signature of Dawn.

"Hellooo?" he called out into the massive chamber that he found himself in. It appeared to be inside of a mountain or Volcano with lava flowing down the walls and into pools on every side, similarly to Dark Crater and the battle with Darkrai. How this was habitable by anyone aside from fire and ghost-types was beyond him.

He paused when he saw Dawn collapsed on the ground, crying.

"...Dawn?"

"Please… Roy… kill me…"

"What?"

"That's what you came here for, isn't it?!"

He was caught off guard by her sudden willingness to surrender. "Uh… What?"

"Please!"

"N-No!"

"If you don't… then I have to kill you…"

Roy sensed her heartbeat accelerating and arched an eyebrow as she refused to look at him. "You're… lying...?"

Dawn looked up at him and gave a barely comprehensible nod, shifting her pupils to her right as tears streamed down her face. Roy glanced in that direction and tilted his head as Victor and Mordred emerged from the shadows. He began swirling the shadows cast by the lava pools around the duo, ready to kill them if they did _anything_ , until Victor spewed a cloud of pitch-black mist from his beak. Roy gasped and tried to blow it away with a quick incantation, but it washed over everything around them, and before he knew it, he was body slammed by the flying-type and slammed into the wall. He phased into the wall and shot a mystical fire attack from his mouth, but gasped as Dawn pulled him out of the shadow realm and held him in physical form. He struggled to break her psychic grip, but she used flash, blinding him as the harsh light pierced through the haze without preamble.

He shut his eyes and tried to activate his spectral senses, but he was stabbed by Mordred before he could regain his bearings. He grunted softly as the metal blade coated in dark energy impaled him, and he fell to the ground, shuddering and gasping for breath as the dark energy ate away at his body.

He began chanting an incantation of healing, but Mordred kicked his side, knocking the breath out of him before he could finish. "Pathetic."

Roy feebly looked at Dawn and extended his cloak-like appendage towards her. "Dawn… Please, help…"

Victor smirked and placed his clawed foot on Roy's chest. "What will it be, Dawn?"

Roy stared at her incredulously as she looked back and forth between them all.

"...No. I won't do it."

Victor sighed and pressed down slightly harder on Roy's chest. "So be it."

He raised his wing, which began glowing with a soft white light, when suddenly a thunderbolt erupted seemingly from out of nowhere, Shocking Victor, Mordred and Dawn, forcing them all to their knees. Victor fell to his side, his eyes wide with shock as Magnezone flew into the room accompanied by four Magneton, Alice, Connor, Vulcan, Nocturne and Magnus.

*Victor, Mordred and Dawn, you are under arrest for aiding multiple known criminals and assisting in mass genocide, bribing officers and framing Team Firestorm!* the steel-type bellowed. Mordred tried to stand, but Magnezone's magnet-like hands began rotating, and Mordred was pinned to the stone wall, helpless against Magnezone's magnetic strength.

Victor was still defenseless on the ground, twitching from the strength of the electric attack, and when Dawn stood up, Vulcan body slammed her with his full strength and used fire punch on her, knocking her flat on her back. Before she could right herself, he stomped his foot into her arm with earth-shaking force, breaking it in two with a sickening snap. She screamed in agony as her whole body seized up, and he ignited his fists and pummeled her face relentlessly, sending sparks flying in every direction and burning her face almost beyond recognition. She feebly tried to raise her other arm, but he grabbed that one and bent it backwards over his knee with a fearsome roar, breaking it as well. Her mouth was wide with shock, but no sound came out. Only a silent scream. Roy flinched as his former leader hit her again, nearly knocking her out, and Connor got between them. "Vulcan, stop! You won!"

"She killed me, Connor!" he screamed as he mega-evolved, his skin turning pitch-black with giant blue wings. Blue waves of fire poured from his mouth as he charged up a fire blast.

"Stop it, Vulcan! This isn't like you!"

"So now you're defending her?! She killed our whole team, Connor! How can you defend that?!" he cried out as the fire in the back of his throat grew in intensity.

Roy drew in the shadows cast by the lava pits to heal himself while Alice placed her hand on Vulcan's cheek. "Vulcan… Calm down. Please..."

The rage in the Charizard's eyes slowly died, and Roy noticed Victor exhale forcibly as a faint glow in his eyes disappeared.

"Using Taunt? Really?" Roy scowled and righted himself, and when Victor tried to rise up and attack, he knew what he had to do.

 **-Valerie-**

"Valerie… What happens when I go to the Distortion World?" Roy asked as several leaves phased through his spectral hat.

She forced the memories out of her mind as she froze time around them, stopping the brisk wind dead in its tracks. She suspended him in time and stood up with tears in her eyes. "You're going to die, Roy… I… I've failed you more times than I can count."

She took a deep, quivering breath as she stared into his eyes, which were still frozen in time, and brushed the back of her hand against his face. "I… I'm so sorry…"

She laid back down and burned the leaves that were in midair before resuming the flow of time. She shrugged nonchalantly and glanced at him. "I thought I already told you."

"No… I only know that I am looking for their souls," he admitted. "And that they should be relatively easy to find. But… what will happen to me?"

She shook her head slowly and suspended time once more as she choked back a sob. "Roy… you have no idea what you're about to do…"

"Actually, I think he does," Briar stepped out of the Time Gear-shaped portal, and Valerie wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're not supposed to be here."

"I am aware," the Sceptile replied. "But I am here to tell you on behalf of Lord Dialga… you cannot keep living in the past."

"I failed him, Briar!" Valerie cried as she stood up. "I promised that he would live to see his friends again, and I failed to uphold that promise! I've come back to fix it! Dialga knows better than to interfere now!"

"But you cannot dwell on this Roy's fate. What makes this one so important to you?"

"He's… just different," she said. "You should know that, since Dialga sent over half of his Temporal Guardians directly to this timeline, and Dusknoir himself noted Roy's importance! You haven't done that for any other version of this reality, have you?"

"No, I do not believe we have."

"That's what I thought. Briar, I haven't told anyone this… But I'm trying really hard to regain Dialga's favor, alright?"

"You're already a fallen in his eyes," Briar said with crossed arms. "There is no redemption for you."

"You don't know that!" she blurt out before wiping the tears from her eyes. "You don't… you don't know that."

"Is this about him specifically?" Briar asked. "You remember how that turned out with Victor."

"He was a different case," Valerie said, her voice gaining a dangerous edge. "He was a renowned explorer that turned into one of the most feared exploration team killers in history. And I knew him before I was a Temporal Guardian."

"And what is Roy to you?"

"A son," she replied. "An apprentice, a brother, a friend… all those things. You know better than to think that I view him as anything more."

"It's just curious, is all…" Briar murmured while glancing at the Mismagius, who was still frozen in time, completely unaware of their conversation. "That you'd come back for him time and time again…"

"You'd do the same for your son," Valerie growled. "Don't try that with me."

"Valerie… Come back with me. There's something I want you to see," the Sceptile opened the dimensional hole and extended her hand back towards her.

Valerie sat up and cautiously reached forward before withdrawing. "I'm fine being here. Thanks, though."

"No you're not," Briar said. "You cannot prevent this, Valerie. Once you accept that fact, you will find peace."

"How will I find peace knowing that the only pokémon I truly care about is going to be wiped from existence?!" she fought to keep from yelling at the Sceptile. "Explain that to me!"

The Sceptile was silent in reply, and Valerie wiped the tears from her eyes with a scowl. "You can't… can you? You don't know how."

"...Valerie, I am breaking Dialga's law to come to you. I would not do such a thing unless I felt that the reward would outweigh the consequences."

"You've got a point," Valerie murmured. She waved her wand through the air, keeping the entire forest they were in suspended in time. "I'll come with you. I want in on whatever this 'reward' is that you're talking about."

 **-Vincent-**

"Ugh… Wha…?" he sat up groggily and held his head with his hand, looking around at the distorted landscape. "What happened…?"

He tried to look for any movement on the barren island floating in the void, but it was all for naught. He saw several Jellicent floating in a river to his left, and was about to walk over to them, when another bright blue entity fell into the river from above, seemingly out of nowhere. Immediately, the water-types wrapped their tendrils around the poor soul and ripped it apart in the blink of an eye, scattering it throughout the river that proceeded to flow upwards and into the void. Vincent stumbled backwards in shock, nearly tripping over his own tail as he tried to stay away from the water's edge. "Gah! Oh, Arceus… Hah… Ha-ha… Nope. Not going there. Stay away from the water."

 _That pokémon didn't look familiar… I hope it wasn't one of us._

"Uh… Hello?" he called out to the barren landscape, hoping that somebody would answer.

"Hello."

Vincent yelped and leapt backwards as Aaron fell from the sky as well, landing right in front of him. "Arceus, don't do that!"

"My bad. Do you have any idea where the rest of them are?"

"It's just Atlas, Caroline, you and me. I think everyone else is already out."

"Huh. Okay. Any idea where that Chandelure is?"

"Not a clue. He threw us all in different directions. I just woke up like two seconds ago. How'd you even find me?"

"It wasn't that hard. I just kept track of where he threw you guys," the Pikachu replied. "Besides-" the electric-type tensed up and stared directly past him. Vincent turned around and was fully prepared to fight, but instead, four more pikachu appeared from a fog that began settling over the island they were on. Each of them were bright blue and transparent, but Vincent got an uneasy feeling from the way Aaron reacted. He didn't move. He just stared at them, wide-eyed. His arms fell to his sides after a moment, and his shoulders dropped.

Vincent's eyebrow shot up as he looked back and forth between the four electric-types. "Uh… Who are you?"

"Who were we…?" the pikachu in the middle's female voice was very soothing to listen to, and Aaron took a deep, quivering breath. Vincent rapidly looked back and forth between them, noting the translucent tears forming in his eyes.

"Uh… Aaron? You alright?" Vincent asked.

"Mom..."

He walked towards the four other spirits and shook his head in disbelief. "It's me… Aaron."

The Pikachu who spoke first - his mother, Vincent presumed - tilted her head at him. "Aaron…? No, he is alive… We have been watching over him for years now."

"Mom…" Aaron's voice broke as he placed his hand on her cheek. "Please… I'm here."

The four electric-types vanished into mist without preamble, and Aaron fell to his knees. "Come back! Don't leave me! Not again! Please!" he slammed his fist into the ground as the fog receded and looked to where they were a moment before. "Come back…"

A single wisp of blue smoke emerged from the cracks in the ground, and a smaller pikachu moved closer to him after it materialized. "Aaron… I miss you… We all miss you…"

"Sarah…" Aaron wept and hugged her tight, making sure to not let go. "I miss you too… So, so much…"

Vincent gasped as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Do you think Roy could bring them back?"

Aaron wiped his eyes and looked down at his little sister, nodding quickly. "Sarah… can you get mom and dad?"

"We have to go," she replied. "The Supreme Grand Reaper allowed us this long. We can't test his patience."

"Dusknoir…?" Aaron shook his head and held her tighter. "No! I won't let him take you! Not again! We're going to bring you back!"

"Big brother… I have to go. I love you..."

"No! I won't let you!"

His arms began slipping through her as she hugged him back, and he feebly grabbed for her hands as she floated away into the void. "SARAH!"

His cry echoed across the distortion world, sending out a pulse of energy that appeared to alter the horizon, if only briefly. He fell to his hands and knees once more, sobbing and begging for them to come back. Vincent looked around nervously as the sky seemed to move even more sporadically than earlier. "Uh… I think we might want to get inside."

"They… They were here… We could have saved them…" Aaron remained on the ground, and Vincent tapped his shoulder. "Aaron, I don't want to be caught out here when the patrol pokémon get here. That shout probably told everyone in this dimension where we are."

"I don't care..."

"Aaron, listen to me; Victor is still out there. You still want him dead, right?"

"No… I just want to see my family again. Surely you understand that, of all things?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes and blinked back tears as his memories resurfaced. "How do you know-"

"It's the aura within me… I can… I can do things most pokémon can't."

"Whatever! Aaron, from what I know about you, you were hellbent on killing that stupid Honchkrow! He's the one that killed your family! How can you live knowing he's still out there running free?!"

"We're not alive, Vincent. Everyone I've ever loved is here. Why would I go back to that horrible place?"

"I don't… Aaron, listen to me. You have to snap out of it! This place is trying to keep us here!"

"I don't want to leave! It doesn't have to try and keep me here!"

"Aaron, please…"

"No. I'll keep helping you, but once Roy comes back and gets the rest of you… I'm staying."

* * *

 **Dun dun dunnn! Quite the intense chapter we've got going on here! Alright, as always, if you guys enjoyed, go ahead and leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories in the form of a review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	15. Letting Go

**-Chapter XV: Letting Go-**

 **-Victor-**

When he finally was able to get to his feet, Roy floated there with a sly smirk on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked. "The police will not be able to keep me for long. And with Magnezone here, you can't harm me any further!"

"Oh, the police are of no concern to me..." Roy chuckled and floated closer. "They can't do a fraction of the things I'm going to do to you."

Victor growled and stepped backwards, looking to Mordred for a moment before being punched in the side of the face with enough force to send him flying across the cavern.

"Never take your eyes off of your opponent!" Roy jested with a maniacal grin. "That's how you lose!"

"You think I can't win against you?!" Victor raged as he got to his feet. "And how will your leaders react to you killing someone who has surrendered peacefully? I know for a fact that Connor will not approve!"

"Peace…" Roy chuckled and looked up at him with a strangely calm expression. "Your group killed them, Victor. You show no remorse for anything that you've done. When I'm through with you, your worst nightmares will be nothing but pleasant memories."

Victor fired a dark pulse at the ghost-type, who simply absorbed it into the gems on his cloak. "'Surrendered peacefully', huh? You know... I really don't like lying. It's right up there with murdering my friends."

Victor flapped his wings, releasing an ominous wind that was immediately dispersed with a single wave of the ghost-type's cape. His eyes widened as Roy floated threateningly closer.

He hardened his wings and went to slash at him, but the attack bounced off of the ghost-type's skin without so much as a scratch. He readied air slash, charging it beneath his wing, when suddenly his entire body exploded in pain. His wings, which were still hardened from steel wing, were stripped of their razor-sharp feathers. They floated around him in midair, and Roy looked at him with fake pity as his breathing accelerated. "I wonder what it feels like to be stabbed a hundred times at once. I bet it's painful."

Before Victor could register what was happening, the razor-sharp feathers were shoved into his back, sides and legs. He screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor as Roy drug them across his skin with psychic, cutting horrible gashes into his skin without hesitation and slamming him face-first into the wall. "How do you like it, Victor?"

"You can't do this… Urk!"

"But I am. And here's the best part; You've always been in control. You've always had Mordred to fight your battles for you… but not this time. This time, you're in my world; and in my world, no-one can hear you scream."

He couldn't even move; His entire body gave out from the dozens of knife-like feathers that were buried in his skin. Then he was lifted from the ground, staring directly into Roy's eyes while being suspended by the metallic shards embedded in him.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Roy asked with a small chuckle. "Every breath feels like inhaling glass… your skin burns from the gashes caused by your own aggression… Hm-hm-hm..."

"Just kill me," he managed to say before coughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, no… I'm not going to do that," Roy said. "I'm just going to make you wish you were dead by bringing your worst fears to life..."

"You don't know what I'm afraid of," Victor grunted in between jagged breaths.

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Roy cackled and ignited the ground beneath Victor with mystical fire. He tried to move and escape the flames lapping up his stomach, but Roy just held him there without changing his expression. "You see, my species in particular feeds off of fear. From the first time I laid eyes upon you, I knew your worst fear. Go ahead and tell me what it is!"

"Please, stop!" Victor croaked as the flames ate away at his skin.

"Convince me why I should," Roy sneered.

Victor gritted his teeth and tried to speak, but Roy just slowly lowered him closer to the roaring flames. "I'll give you to the count of ten."

"Please… urk! I'll-"

"One…"

"Gah… please, make it stop!"

"Two…"

"I'll do anything! Anything you want!"

Victor struggled to move, but with every twitch, the steel-hard feathers buried themselves deeper in his skin, heating up from the flames beneath him, like red-hot knives stabbing his insides.

"Nine..."

Just before he lost consciousness, he was suddenly standing on the ground, perfectly fine, with Roy floating directly in front of him. His feathers had returned to pristine condition, and he felt almost… younger.

"What…?"

"One more time," Roy said. "All you have to do is convince me why I shouldn't bring you within an inch of your life for the next few hours."

Victor tried to fly away, but suddenly the entire world was upside down and he flew face-first into the floor. He groaned and rolled onto his back, then used air slash on Roy, but the ghost-type swatted the blade of condensed air away with a shadowy hand and tilted his head at him with a crooked smile stretched across his face. "Wow… I'm doing a better job at this than I originally thought!"

"Where are the others?" he asked as he looked around, noticing the absence of any pokémon around them. "What have you done with them?"

"It's not what I did to them. It's what I did to you."

"What are you talking about?"

Roy's Misdrea-Cape flapped in the wind as his eyes glowed with an eerie white light, and before his eyes, the barren ground beneath him erupted into plant-life. Trees as large as any he'd seen rose out of the ground, and the ceiling of the chamber they were in dissolved into smoke, exposing a bright blue sky with rays of sunshine piercing through the canopy. The lava around him turned into water that flowed across the grass-covered ground, forming a flowing river in a matter of seconds, with multiple bug-types bustling about through the air and along the ground.

"What is this?"

"Your worst fear," Roy clarified. "I think you'll recognize it in a second."

Victor tilted his head, perplexed until a small, silver-skinned Fennekin with red patches of fur sprouting from its ears emerged from the shrubbery nearby. Victor's eyes widened before he looked back at Roy. "Please… don't do this."

"My offer still stands, Victor. Convince me why I should stop, and I will."

Victor growled and tried to use perish song, but a ring of blue energy materialized in front of him and wrapped around his beak, sealing it shut. Roy pouted and floated closer to him with a disappointed frown. "Tsk, tsk…"

"This isn't real," Victor said. When he spoke, the blue ring of energy disappeared, allowing him to speak normally.

Roy just laughed and punched the side of his head with shadow punch, knocking him to the ground. "It's every bit as real as you or I, so don't mistake this nightmare for a figment of your imagination."

As he said this, he felt his entire body shrink and weaken. He was suddenly less than half of his previous size, and when he looked at his talons, he gasped and looked back at the Silver Fennekin. "Valerie…!"

He turned back to Roy with an angry glare. "What did you do to me?!"

"I de-evolved you for the duration of this little… experiment."

Victor's eyes shot open as a Zoroark emerged from the bushes directly behind her, and when he tried to fly forward, he was stopped by an invisible barrier that forced him to the ground. The Fennekin foraged along the foliage, completely oblivious to the dark-type behind her. "Valerie, watch out!"

When she failed to react, Roy just looked on with him. "If I understand correctly, you made her aware of the Zoroark, correct?"

"No…" Victor teared up and looked away, until Roy forced him to look with an overpowering psychic hold, which should have been impossible. "Please, stop!"

"You're going to watch… what if things had turned out differently? What if you weren't there to make her aware?"

"But I was!" he growled and tried to free himself, but Roy just narrowed his eyes slightly, and Victor's entire body ceased all movement.

"Let me explain what your worst fear is, Victor… While your worst physical fear is fire - kind of ironic, since Valerie is a fire-type -, your worst mental fear… the one that kills you the most… is the memories of that day. How terrified you were of losing her, even though you'd never even spoken to her."

"I care nothing for her," he snarled.

"I beg to differ," he said. "I don't like it any more than you do, but you have to suffer for what you've done. So here's what we're going to do… I'm going to leave you here to watch the Zoroark rip her limb from limb a few dozen times until you're to the point of insanity. Then I'll be back. Ta-ta~!"

The ghost-type vanished, and the Zoroark pounced. Victor tried to cry out to the Fennekin, but the blue ring of energy clamped over his beak, holding it closed while an invisible force kept his eyes focused on the carnage that ensued.

 **-Roy-**

He sighed at Victor as he laid there, helplessly crying on the ground, sound asleep. He didn't want the mental picture in his mind of Valerie being slaughtered in hundreds of different ways as a Fennekin, but he had to put it in Victor's mind.

 _I'm never gonna get that out of my head…_

He sighed heavily, then flinched when Connor placed his hand on his shoulder. "Roy… How did you resist?"

"Hm?"

"How did you resist killing him?" Connor asked. "Any of us would have done it in a heartbeat."

"It's... complicated," he said. "And your voice… it's different."

"Is it?"

"Yeah; What happened?"

"Well, my memories are restored. So I remember everything now."

The Mismagius grinned and shook his head in disbelief. "Seriously?! That's great!"

"Yeah, I took quite the beating from Valerie before they came back, though. So I'm still kind of sore."

"But why did your speech change?" he asked. "Memories don't affect how you talk… right?"

"They do if I developed my speech patterns in the three years I've been here," Connor said. "But whatever; Magnezone will take them from here."

"Aren't the police corrupted?" he asked. "I thought Victor bought them out.

"Not anymore. Magnezone took control of the police force again. When word got around that the Mafia's base fell, Magnezone did his thing."

"That's really conveniently timed..." Roy looked at Dawn as she was led away, arms behind her back, then tilted his head. "Didn't Vulcan…?"

"Yeah, but Alice healed her," Connor said. "And there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Of course," Roy said as he formed two seats out of shadows. Connor eased himself into one and transformed into a human. Still a strange sight to behold, given the vast differences between his two forms.

"So… It's about Dawn."

Roy instantly tensed up. "What about her?"

"Alice read her emotions… and I think there's more to this than it seems."

"What are you talking about? What kind of emotions can justify what she did?" Roy said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Alice has gotten better at defining emotions," Connor clarified. "Not just sad, happy, or scared… Dawn, she… I'm pretty sure she was being forced to fight against her will."

Roy sighed and nodded. "I know."

"What do you mean, 'you know'?" Connor said as he leaned forward in his chair.

"I overheard her talking to… to Victor," he said, immediately realizing that Connor wasn't aware of what he had heard from Valerie. "About how he was forcing her to fight because she made a binding oath."

"Hm." the human crossed his arms and looked over at the Gallade as the four Magneton formed an electric barrier around her and Mordred. "And you didn't say anything? Not even to Valerie?"

Roy grimaced before nodding quickly as Magnezone hoisted Victor into the air with an electric net attached to his underside. "I thought she knew already."

"Wouldn't she have told you that Dawn was faking it?"

"I doubt it," Roy grumbled. "She never tells me anything."

"Huh. Alright, well I'm going to ask her some questions once she's in custody. Do you want to ask her anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure-"

"I said no, Connor," Roy's voice cracked as he blinked back tears. "I can't talk to her… It's better that way."

"I understand," the human replied. He took a deep breath and rose from the chair before turning back into a Swampert. "If you change your mind, you know where Magnezone's facility is. They're going to be interrogated for a couple days, most likely."

"Connor… I'm not coming back. You know that, right?"

The Swampert arched an eyebrow and moved closer. "What do you mean? You're just going to the Distortion World, right? To bring the rest of them back?"  
"It's… it's more complicated than that," he said. "When I finish bringing Atlas, Vincent, Caroline and Aaron back… I can't leave the Distortion World. That's the price I have to pay."

"What… No, there has to be another-"

"Valerie has spent days looking for another way. It's either them or me."

"But Roy-"

"Don't make this any harder on me… please…" he looked away from Connor, who simply hugged him for a moment before sniffling once and blinking back tears. "We're going to miss you…"

"I'll miss you, too," he said as he looked at the rest of his team. They were all moving closer as Magnezone led Dawn, Mordred and Victor away, and he took a deep breath as Jade floated right next to him. "...Yes?"

"I'm coming with you." the ice-type said. She said it in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Where?" he did his best to mask his surprise, but she just rolled her eyes annoyedly. "To the Distortion World! Where else?"

"Why would you want to go back?"

"I want to make sure you don't do anything you'll regret," she said with a joking smile.

"Well, thank you… but no. I won't let you go back there."

"It's not your decision to make," she said.

"I don't care what Valerie said. I'm not putting you through anything else as long as I'm alive."

"Jade-" Nocturne tried to speak up, but she lightly pushed his hand away. "Stop. I don't need you to be my guardian right now."

"Jade, the Distortion World is a horrible place to be if you're alive," Roy said. "I really don't want you to go."

"And I don't want you to go, either," she said. "But our chances of success are multiplied exponentially if I'm there to assist you."

"Not there. My mission is to get there, find them, get out. That's it. A partner would only slow me down."

"And what if they're separated?" she asked.

"Then I'll find them, wherever they may be, and I'll bring them back."

"Why are you so intent on keeping me away?" she asked.

"Because I just brought you back!" his voice rose in spite of himself, and he transformed into a Kirlia. "And I barely made it out the first time. I don't want you to be stuck there because of me."

"But I can-"

"Just… go away," he said. "I don't want you with me, and that's final."

"Roy…" she reached her hand towards him, but he pushed her away with tears in his eyes. "Don't come for me."

"How can you be so selfish…?" she murmured.

"I… I have to go." he laid on the ground and removed his Mismagius form from his physical form, taking special care to release only his spirit. His spectral skin was more translucent and made it significantly easier to cross through the dimensional barrier. The rest of them were looking at his physical body, completely unaware that his spirit was floating above them. Then Jade looked up at him, much to his surprise, and just shook her head. "Don't go… please…"

"You can see me." It wasn't a question. He could tell. She was looking directly into his eyes.

She nodded somberly and floated up to him. The rest of the team was staring at her as though she were crazy, but she hugged him and buried her head in his shoulder. "You know I'm going to come for you."

"Why? Last I checked, you hated me," he said.

She gasped lightly and shook her head in disbelief. "Hate you…? Arceus, no! I never hated you! Sure, you got on my nerves sometimes, but that's what family does... They fight sometimes, they get on each others' nerves… but I never hated you, Roy!"

"Well... at least now I can stop trying to win your approval," he said jokingly before phasing out of her arms and floating backwards. "...Goodbye, Jade."

A single tear froze on her cheek, but she looked to the ground in acceptance. "See you later, Roy."

He grimaced at those words and turned away from her, phasing through the wall before vanishing into the shadow realm. _No… you won't._

"Dusknoir, I'm ready."

" _Understood."_

"Don't let them come for me," he said as the Supreme Grand Reaper materialized in the darkness of the shadow dimension.

" _I cannot stop them,"_ Dusknoir replied. " _If they wish to come for you, then I will do my best to ensure that they make it back. It is all I can do."_

"Okay, fine. But when it's all said and done… let the team know what happened to me… so that nothing like this has to happen again."

Dusknoir stared silently at him before opening a portal to the Distortion World. Its indigo and black rings pulsed inwards, drawing him in like a magnet.  
"Promise me, Dusknoir!"

"I will inform your leader," the heavyset ghost-type replied as Roy began floating closer and closer.

"Thank you. Now-" his sentence was cut short when he was slammed into the portal, and his vision went black as soon as he broke through the dimensional barrier.

* * *

 **Alright! Chapter 15! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed! I apologize for the delayed uploads recently. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen, leave them in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	16. Master of Shadows

**-Chapter XVI: Master of Shadows-**

 **-Wigglytuff-**

"I don't know, Chatot… These past few months have felt like a lifetime for me… And I don't know why. Normally time flies while we're training apprentices."

His best friend placed his wing on his chin in thought. "Perhaps it's because of all of the Temporal Guardians residing in this timeline?"

"Grovyle, Basileus, Celebi and Briar have left," he replied. "That relieved a lot of the the pressure of keeping the temporal fabric in one piece, but what Amber said really bothers me… and in conjunction with what Lord Dialga has been talking about… if it's what I think it is, then we're in a lot of trouble."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to, Guildmaster," the flying type replied. "May I ask what you mean?"

"Dialga has been talking about somebody making the jump across time from just after the worlds were split. That's so far back in time, not even Cosmic Lords or Grand Reapers can travel there without Dialga's assistance."

"So this… mystery pokémon… is it a Temporal Guardian?"

"No," Wigglytuff said as he gazed over Treasure Town. "It's not an immortal being; Dialga would have addressed it already if that were the case."

"Then who else could it be? It could be anyone in history! If they have more power over time than Grand Reapers, then surely they are a considerable force to be reckoned with!"

"Well, it's too soon to jump to conclusions or assume that it's an enemy," he said. "Let's wait and see."

Suddenly a light knock on the door to his chamber caught his attention. "Wigglytuff? It's Val."

"Oh? Come in, friend!"

Chatot narrowed his eyes as the silver-skinned Delphox strode into the room, but she simply sat on the ground and looked up at Wigglytuff with a triumphant smile across her face.

"Oh, boy! Did you figure out who this mystery pokémon is?" Wigglytuff asked excitedly.

"Actually, it's not even a pokémon at all," Valerie said. "It's another human."

"Oh, wow! Really? That's so exciting!" Wigglytuff smiled and clapped his hands ecstatically. "Another human! So how's it getting here? Do you know?"

"That's the tricky part…" Valerie twirled her wand between her fingers and drew a lightning-fast portrait of a two humans, one male and one female, entirely out of flames. They appeared to be moving closer to each other, then merged into one. Valerie dispelled the fire with a quick puff of air and held her palms in an upward position. "So it turns out that's why Amber's been feeling a bit funny."

"What? Amber's been feeling funny?" Wigglytuff asked innocently, trying to mask his surprise at Valerie's knowledge, but he knew better. Valerie could see right through any facade he put up.

"Of course. She came to you first, didn't she? She wouldn't dare tell any of the other Temporal Guardians for fear that they'd rat her out. Honestly, I don't blame her. You're the only one I trust with most of my secrets, too."

Wigglytuff crossed his arms and looked at Chatot with a short laugh. "Told you, Chatot. When you don't tell on people, they trust you with their secrets."

"That's true," Valerie agreed. "But even Amber didn't tell you explicitly, did she? What she did?"

"No… what happened?" he asked.

"She mated with Connor."

Wigglytuff's eyes shot open even wider, and his smile disappeared as he processed what she just said. "...What?"

"You heard me."

"Wha… no, she wouldn't…" he stumbled backwards and sat on the ground, his jaw hanging open. "She knows better..."

"That might have been partially my fault. But hey, it's all good."

Wigglytuff glared at her, completely boggled by what he was hearing. "You… you set her up?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that, I just said that he'd be good for her. And she agreed."

His shock overpowered most of his anger. He was practically at a loss for words. "Why did you do that?!"

"You know why," she said as she stood up. "She was the one who convinced Dialga to send me into exile. I'm only returning the favor."

"So that's what this was? Using the greatest mortal being in this world as a pawn just to get revenge on her for following the rules thousands of years ago?!"

"Revenge? No, no, no! Nothing like that!"

"That's exactly what it is, actually-" Valerie forced Chatot into the wall with her staff before he finished his sentence, and before she could even try anything else, Wigglytuff sprinted forward with unfathomable speed and slammed her face into the wall, cratering the stone inwards with the force from the blow. She fell to one knee, dropping her staff, and he threw her into the air by distorting gravity around her. While she floated in the air, still trying to heal her fractured skull, he slowed down time around her and kicked her stomach several times in midair, slamming her into the ceiling, then he shocked her with a full-force thunderbolt before slamming her back into the ground with another gravity attack. She groaned in pain and tried to stand up, but he grabbed the fur on the back of her head and opened his mouth, readying hyper voice before she put her hands up in surrender.

"YOOOOOM..."

"Okay! Okay! Hold on... I wasn't ready."

"Don't you _ever_ touch him again," Wigglytuff growled before releasing his grip on her head and pushing her to the ground forcefully.

"Noted…" Valerie said as she wiped the blood from her snout and rubbed the back of her head gingerly.

"If you do that again, I won't stop."

"Got it. Don't touch Chatot."

"Awesome!" Wigglytuff's normal grin returned as he helped her up. "Now that that's out of the way, let's focus on what's happening now! Roy should be bringing the rest of them back any minute now, right?"

"I think so," Valerie replied while still rubbing her neck. "Then again, only Dusknoir knows how he's doing. I can only communicate with him when Dusknoir relays my telepathic signal through the dimensional barrier."

"Well where's Dusknoir?" Wigglytuff asked.

"It doesn't matter now," she said. "Roy's in the Distortion World, and he knows what he has to do."

 **-Jade-**

She had never been in more pain in her life. Her skin hissed and steamed from being in this atmosphere, and her ice mask was splitting apart and melting, small bits of ice falling off whenever she moved. She sat up slowly and looked to her left, where Roy was passed out on the ground. This felt entirely different than when she was a spirit. It was much more painful, as though the air were acid, eating away at her insides every time she breathed.

Her eyes widened as she flew forward. "Roy!"

She grabbed his sides, but the instant she touched him, a dark energy exploded from his skin and sent her flying back. His eyes snapped open and glowed like fire. He cackled and rose up, swirling a mystical fire around him that turned bright purple. "Hm-hm-hm-ha-ha-ha-ha! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Then his eyes dimmed and he went back to his normal self. She stared at him and his eyes widened slightly. "Wow… That was _really_ weird." He blinked heavily and seemed to focus on her. "Uh… Did you push me into the portal?"

She nodded slowly, unsure of how he would react. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were disappointed by her arrival. Then he looked up at the brim of his hat and pouted. His ghostly hat had begun dissolving, dripping off of him and disappearing into nothing, his misdrea cape tattered and nearly torn in two. He followed her gaze and sighed as he moved his cape in front of him. "Blast. Kind of hoped my cape wouldn't be ruined." He removed it with psychic and folded it into a small cloth, which he tucked away beneath his spectral robes. "Why did you come?"

"Really, Roy? I'm trying to help!"

"You should have stayed with them," he said without looking at her.

"Why? What do you have to lose by me being with you?"

"It's not that I don't want you with me…" Roy shook his head and turned away from her with an annoyed scoff. "Let's move. We need to find them."

He began floating through the air, and Jade flew after him.

"Why are you acting like this?" she asked.

"Because!" he snapped. "I don't want you to go through any more traumatic experiences!"

"Being killed is pretty traumatic," she replied. "I don't think that there's much else worse than that. What's the real reason?"

Roy kept floating forward in silence, and she flew in front of him, cutting him off. He stopped and arched an eyebrow at her with an unwavering frown. "Jade, this isn't funny. We have to get to them as soon as possible."

"I want to know why you're acting like this!"

"...Because when I'm done bringing them back, I…"

"Yes?"

"I won't be the same. In fact… No-one will recognize me after it's all said and done."

"Well... we can work through that," she replied with a small smile. "Alright?"

Roy teared up and began floating forward. "Fine."

Jade sighed with relief and hovered close to him. "This is much different than being a spirit," she whispered.

"I know. This place is home for the souls of the deceased. It's not meant to have living pokémon here."

"Then why-" before she could finish, Roy pushed her to the side with a psychic pulse and disappeared into shadows as a column of indigo fire vaporized the ground where they were standing just a moment before.

"Oh, Rooyyy~! I almost got control of you… where are you hiding?" a Chandelure called down to them with a maniacal grin before looking at Jade with a hint of surprise. "Oh? And who might you be?"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Roy emerged from thin air and tore the shadows cast by the hundreds of islands around them from the ground, forming a barrier of darkness around her that she could see out of like tinted glass. The Chandelure turned around casually, but was promptly impaled by Roy's spectral hand, which had transformed into a long, shadow-infused spike that burst from the Chandelure's backside. It tried to ignite a fireball between its arms, but Roy shoved his other hand down the fire-type's throat and tore its entire body in half with almost no effort. Jade's jaw dropped as the two halves of the Chandelure fell into the infinite void, and Roy lowered the barrier from around her.

As he floated closer, he noted her expression momentarily before looking away in shame. Her eyes shot open in awe as Roy wiped the spectral blood off of his body. "You're… you're so powerful…"

"Not as powerful as he seems!" the Chandelure's voice cackled all around them until he appeared out of thin air with a sadistic grin. "That was a nasty trick, Roy! I'm glad I used a substitute this go-round!"

"What did you do with them?" he asked.

Jade glanced between them, utterly baffled as to how these two knew each other.

"Who? Oh, your friends?" the Chandelure smirked and gestured to the infinite void. "I decided to make your little quest a bit more interesting! Hee-hee-hee!"  
"So you split them up?" Roy asked, his expression not changing in the slightest.

"That's what I just... yes! I split them up!" the Chandelure's smile faded as he floated closer, observing Roy's unwavering glare. "...Doesn't that bother you?"  
"Not in the slightest," Roy said as his eyes crackled with electricity.

"Hm… Well, it looks like I'll have to speed things up a little bit, then!" the Chandelure raised his arms and began spinning, forming a tornado of indigo flames around him.

Roy quickly turned away from the flames, and she followed suit without hesitation, but she felt something… different. She turned back around in spite of herself, and she began floating closer to the fire. It was so warm… it felt so nice… so welcoming...

Then she was thrown backwards, landing face-first on the ground. Roy's breathing accelerated as he looked into her eyes, breaking the hypnotic trance over her mind. "Run!"

"Why can't you fight him?!"

"His flames hypnotize us while he's like this! We can't look at him!"

Jade floated upright and flew forward after him. He phased through the ground and extended his hand up to her, dragging her through the void. The next thing she knew, they were on an entirely different island. Roy emerged from the ground slowly, the pitch-black shadows dripping off of him as his skin solidified. When he completely emerged from the shadow realm, Jade gasped as sections of his hat fell to the ground, melting into puddles of darkness. He cursed under his breath and closed his eyes momentarily before looking into the distance. "I feel Atlas' life force. His is the closest."

"Who was that Chandelure?!" she demanded. "And how do you two know each other?!"

"He's been trying to absorb my soul for the past couple months," Roy growled. "I thought Dusknoir dragged him into the deepest layer of the Distortion World. Seeing him here is kind of annoying."

"Annoying?! You say that so casually!" she exclaimed. "'Oh, he's just been trying to kill me for a couple months, no big deal'! What the heck, Roy?! I would have helped you fight him if I knew!"

"No. He's too strong for you," he said. "I only stood a chance because Valerie and Dusknoir taught me how to defend against him, specifically. And they both saved me from him each time we fought."

Another bit of his hat peeled off and dissolved into shadows, and he hovered forward even faster. "We need to move."

* * *

 **I apologize for the delayed update; Hurricane Harvey did some damage in the areas around us so we've been helping friends out and stuff. I am fine and our home is largely unaffected. Anywho, that was chapter 16! Unfortunately I only have two more chapters written at the moment, since I got impatient and decided to start uploading this story before it was finished and am now suffering from writers' block, but I will do my best to keep updating at a regulated pace! As always, if you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories in the form of a Review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	17. Last Breath

**-Chapter XVII: Last Breath-**

 **-Connor-**

He and Vulcan sat across the table from Dawn, who kept glancing at Vulcan nervously. Her wrists were bound to the table with draconian iron shackles, with a strange device placed on her neck to suppress her psychic abilities. It was made of metal, and had several unown runes carved into the plating that glowed with a soft white light.

"Dawn… what aren't you telling us?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the table, but she remained silent.

"Dawn, please… just tell us so we can help you!"

"I have nothing to say…" she pursed her lips and looked away from them, and Vulcan started to rise from his seat. "Dawn-"

Connor forced him back into his seat with a scowl. "You've done enough. Let me do the talking this time."

Vulcan's skin glowed red-hot as he rose up slightly slower, pushing the solid metal table several inches and slightly melting the metal where his shins pressed against it. "I'll be outside."

Connor sighed as the Charizard knocked twice on the draconian Iron doors. They clanged and shuddered open, echoing across the interrogation room, and Connor transformed into his human form, catching her slightly by surprise. He held his palms in an upward position and shrugged his shoulders. "This is who I really am, Dawn. We all have secrets. Some of them are more closely guarded than others, but you can trust me… alright?"

"How do I know you won't kill me while my powers are suppressed?" she muttered.

"What would I have to gain by doing that?" he asked. "They're all back now. You know that."

Dawn sniffled and looked away from him. "I already told you; I have nothing to say."

Connor sighed and opened his wonder bag. "Then maybe I'd better listen to this."

Dawn glanced at him as he pulled the bright blue flower-like item from his bag. Dawn's eyes shot open as soon as she realized what it was. "Where did you get that?"

"That doesn't matter. It's yours, isn't it?" he asked.

She sobbed and laid her forehead on the table. "I'm so sorry…"

"Why?"

"I never wanted to do anything that I did!" she cried. "I hated every second of it!"

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because I was… angry. Angry at Aaron for taking Castiel from me… at Roy for taking away my sight…"

"Aaron? What did he do to you?"

"He killed my mate…"

"Who was your mate?"

"Roy… before he died, he was… he was a Kirlia named Castiel. He was supposed to become the Alpha Gallade."

"So… wait, he really… he's a ghost? Not just a ghost-type?"

"You mean you didn't believe him?" she asked as she sat up, her face drenched with tears.

"No! That's never happened before! No pokémon dies and comes back a different species!" he argued

"But he did, Connor… I promise, I'm telling the truth."

"...Alright… So why didn't you just go for Aaron and be done with it?"

"When Victor found me… I was broken. The power that Castiel gave me made me physically blind. My mate had just been killed. He offered me a chance to make it right. He said that he could heal me, if I helped him save outlaws. At first it was easy. I could see well enough with my psychic vision to take down most exploration teams. But he never had me kill anyone. Always just knock them out and save the outlaw in question. That was it. Then… when your team came into the picture… he made me go into hiding. I don't know why. Then… after you rescued Vulcan and lost a part of your team… he told me to infiltrate your team and destroy you from the inside."

"But… there were so many instances where you saved us…" Connor said as he placed his hand on his chin in confusion.

"Because I care about you guys!" she sobbed. "Don't you see? That's why I didn't fight… That's why I want to die… I can't live knowing that everyone I ever cared about is dead..."

"Everyone? What about your parents? Siblings?"

"I never had any of those. Castiel and I, we… we had no parents. No loved ones except each other. We had… we had each other…" her voice cracked as she placed her head on the table and wept. "It was us against the world… we could do anything…"

Suddenly her shackles began vibrating rapidly as her breathing accelerated. "Then _he came and took it all away_ …" she rose from her chair and ripped the suppressor from her neck after shattering her shackles with a bone-rattling telekinetic blow. Connor gasped and leapt backwards, but she looked at him with a look of… compassion. She extended her elbow blades and moved each of her fingers experimentally.

A section of the steel-plated wall to his right glowed white and shifted open, and four Magneton flew into the interrogation room before the wall sealed itself again. She shook her head and pushed them all into the ground without breaking a sweat. "I'm not staying here."

"Dawn… I don't care what Victor made you do… you still murdered, like, six or seven pokémon that worked with the police. And you worked for a criminal organization for almost a decade. You can't leave this place."

"Try and stop me," she snarled.

"Where are you gonna go? Roy's gone, the Mafia is gone, Aaron is dead… what else is left?"

"I'm going to kill Victor and Mordred. After that, I don't care."

 **-Atlas-**

He gasped as a massive explosion sent a shockwave across the void, nearly knocking him over. He stumbled to catch himself and crouched behind one of the boulders dotting the otherwise barren landscape. He examined his bright blue, translucent skin and grimaced as it became more transparent before his eyes.

"Not good…"

 _What was that?_

He ducked down low to the ground as the sky above him rippled even more sporadically. Then without warning, his skin turned a shade of bright purple, almost like a Croagunk's skin as a blood-curdling screech echoed across the void. A rather large portion of the sky peeled away, revealing a realm of indigo fire as a colossal serpentine pokémon surrounded by gold-plated armor flew through the breach in the dimension.

He shook with fear at the sheer size and demeanor of that pokémon. It was easily a hundred feet long, and twice as big as any Steelix he had ever seen.

 _That must be Giratina…_

Then he saw a pillar of bright purple flames shoot across the void, and he narrowed his eyes as Giratina's ear-splitting roar send shockwaves across the sky, blasting away the flames in one swift motion. The dragon of death practically teleported directly to the island that the flames originated from, several miles to his left. Then he leapt away as the shadows around him condensed beneath his feet.

"Atlas!" He relaxed and grinned as Roy materialized from the floor. "Roy! Thank Arceus! There was this Chandelure out to get you, an-"

"I know," he said. Atlas' smile disappeared as he noted Roy's appearance. His skin was burnt and withered, sections of it almost black from discoloration, and his hat was missing almost half of its brim.

"What happened?"

"That's not important," he said. Then he pulled Jade out of the pool of shadows, and Atlas tilted his head at her appearance. "Your skin… you're alive. How are you here?"

"She came with me," Roy said before looking to where Giratina blasted apart one of the islands with a beam of energy emitted from its mouth, sending an earth-shattering shockwave across the void and knocking them all to the ground.

"Did you send him?" he asked as he quickly rose to his feet.

"No. Soulburner asked for it by sending a pillar of fire sky-high in a realm where there isn't supposed to be any activity."

"Oh."

"Yeah... Now it looks like Giratina's going to handle it personally," Roy said before extending his spectral robe and placing one of his hands on Atlas' shoulder. "May I?"  
Atlas nodded slowly and closed his eyes as Roy absorbed his spirit into the gem on his chest, and the next thing he knew, he was in pitch-black darkness.

 **-Jade-**

After Roy absorbed Atlas, he took a deep, shaky breath and turned away from her after a moment. "You know, I never really believed people when they said how much it hurt to have your heart broken. Until it was me…" Roy said through the tears. "It was me listening to her say she hated all of us… And reject everything we'd ever been through."

"Roy… We need to move. It won't be long until they catch us now." she began moving forward, and as Roy floated behind her, he gasped in shock and slowed down. She turned around, and his entire essence began dimming, seeming to fade in and out like an illusion. He looked up at her with pain in his eyes. "Jade… My journey ends here."

Her eyes widened. "Roy, what are you talking about? You've never mentioned…"

"I know. Why do you think I didn't want you to come?"

"No, no, no, Roy, you… you only said that you would be different!"

He scowled and took a deep breath before ripping the ruby-red gems from his chest with a spectral hand that protruded from his cloak and placing them on the floor in front of her. Then he collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain as the newly formed holes in his chest bled profusely, staining the ground around them pitch-black.

"Roy!" she picked him up and shook him lightly. "Don't do this to me! Please!"

"Take those…" he muttered weakly. "It's their only hope…"

"What am I supposed to do?!" she shouted at him, but not out of anger. She was so scared… so afraid… "Please… don't leave me, Roy! I need you!"

"Jade… listen to me…" he phased through her arms and laid on the ground with a weak smile on his face. "I knew that this would happen before I came here… I didn't want you to see me like this…" his eyes glowed white as he removed his misdrea-cape from beneath the folds of his cloak and draped it across her shoulders. "Keep this for me, will you? It's been with me through two lives, after all… It'd be a shame if something happened to it now."

Jade openly wept now, letting the tears freeze on her face as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Roy… please... I can't lose you…"

"No, Jade… you have to move on…" he croaked as his skin became more transparent, and she completely phased through him, falling to the ground where he was lying. He smiled warmly as she stared at him in disbelief, unable to hold him. "Why didn't you tell me? Why?!"

"I know you're hurt… I know that you're afraid…" he tried to brush her cheek with his cloak-like hand, but it phased through her as he became nearly invisible. "You're scared to lose those you care about… And I see now… I can see why you were so insistent on following me… You loved me, didn't you…? You wanted to make sure I lived..."

"Roy…" she wept and tried to grab his indigo hand once more, only for it to phase through his own like smoke. "You're right..."

"I didn't think you'd ever say... I was right..." he chuckled and closed his eyes as his body began disappearing into purple orbs of light that rose up and faded like embers from a fire.

She clenched her fists as the darkness around them condensed beneath the ghost-type, and he took one final breath before vanishing entirely.

"No… Roy, please… come back…" she fell to the ground and wept as the shadows dispersed from around her soon after. "Come back…"

Then she opened her eyes and picked up the three gems in front of her before shouting at the top of her lungs, forming a blizzard that enveloped the entire island of stone. She began charging a hyper beam and aimed at the ground, completely consumed by rage. "WHY?!"

She tore apart the island of stone beneath her with one blast of energy and clutched at her abdomen as the aftershock of the attack took effect.

She opened her hand and stared at the three red gems that she had picked up and wept, slowly falling towards another island in the void as the blizzard around her dissipated. She tied the misdrea-cape around her neck with psychic and placed the gems against her chest, closing her eyes, trying to forget that stupid Mismagius' face. But she couldn't. That stupid smile that he always had… she'd found it obnoxious at first… but only because she envied it. She didn't understand how he was always so happy, even without knowing his past. He had taught her to always look for the bright side of everything, even when things seemed hopeless. And now… he was gone. Yet another face she would never see again. "Why would you do this, Roy?! Why would you leave us?!"

She wiped the frozen teardrops off of her face and looked down at the ruby-like gems, then placed them against her chest once more, allowing herself to take their power. She gasped as they briefly glowed red, then latched onto her chest in a distinctive V-shaped pattern, with the largest one in the bottom center with the two smaller ones diagonally upwards on either side. As soon as they buried themselves into her skin, she felt its power flow through her. The raw energy contained in those gems… she could tell that it was infused with his essence. The essence of two Alpha Pokémon in one. It was unmistakable.

It didn't take long for that energy burst to leave her. Within a matter of moments, she was so exhausted that she couldn't even lift her arms. She floated powerlessly through the void, and the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Giratina's giant, ruby-red eyes staring at her as she fell into infinity.

* * *

-PL


	18. Everything Ends Here

**-Chapter XVIII: Everything Ends Here-**

 **-Valerie-**

The entire world seemed to spin around her for a moment, seemingly without warning. She caught herself on the table in her hut and teared up as she sensed Roy's spirit leaving the distortion world.

 _That's it, then… he's gone._

She gritted her teeth and began crying in spite of herself. "Arceus, please… let him come back…"

"It is impossible," Dusknoir's gruff-sounding voice made her flinch as he phased through the wall. "He has fulfilled his purpose, and now his time has come. All life must come to an end eventually… even those of immortals."

"I know…" she wiped her face with her forearm and flopped down on her bed face-first, burying her face in her pillow with a soft groan of sorrow. Dusknoir placed his oversized hand on her shoulder and sighed heavily. "Valerie-"

"Wait...Then how…?" she sat up and swiftly moved over to her bookshelf, pulling out several books of mystical locations throughout the world. "Perhaps that's how it happened…"

"Might I ask what you mean?" the colossal ghost-type asked as she skimmed through the books, levitating four of them at once with psychic and turning pages simultaneously.

"Yesterday, Briar showed me a future… one that I hadn't been to before. One where we're all turned to stone. Yet somehow we are all saved by three pokémon that shouldn't exist."

"What are you talking about?"

"In the future, it's… th-the human! You know what I mean!"

"I'm afraid not," the Grand Reaper replied. "Might you elaborate further?"

"There are five pokémon… I don't remember what they were, but I know that Roy was there for sure! How can he be in a future directly linked to this timeline if he's gone forever?"

"Valerie, there is no guarantee that that specific timeline has not been altered since his passing."

She slammed the book closed and threw it against the wall in frustration. "Gah! You're so annoying!"

Dusknoir just floated there silently as she lightly hit his stomach with a half-formed fist and sobbed. "For Arceus' sake, just go away… leave me alone to wallow in my own pity"

"Valerie, you are not in a healthy state of mind."

"Of course I'm not! What, did you expect me to be just fine after I poured most of my time into teaching that stupid Mismagius?!" then she let out a short burst of laughter before wiping her face again. "The messed up part is that I knew he was going to disappear… And I still let him get to me!"

Dusknoir's stomach-mouth frowned as he crossed his arms and looked down at her. "Valerie, stop. You're succumbing to your emotions."

"Don't you have Jade to rescue?" she asked sardonically.

"She will be fine," he assured her. "Lord Giratina has seen to it that she is well taken care of. Right now, I feel that it is in both of our best interest that I stay with you until you are well again."

"Well, go find something else to do! I've done just fine without a babysitter, and I don't need one now that I'm feeling a little mad!"

"Mad?"

"Yes, _mad_ ," she sneered as she stood up and looked into his eye. "You're familiar with the word, aren't you? Back when Connor kicked you out of the Insurgo for something you didn't do, you were _mad_. That's what drove you over the edge to serve Primal Dialga. And it's funny, how similar we really are. You know that the most sound minds were once broken, Dusknoir. The only difference between us and everyone else is how broken we were."

"Valerie… I believe you misunderstand-"

"I understand perfectly!" she shouted at him. She tried to push him away with a psychic pulse, but he raised his hand and snuffed out her psychic energy with no noticeable effort, forcing her to sit back down.

"You have no idea of what I've gone through," Dusknoir growled. "Nor what I am going through as we speak. You think you are the only one grieving for his life? All of the Grand Reapers mourn for him. He has accomplished what we had previously thought to be impossible. His name will be carried on for centuries throughout the distortion world."

"What exactly have _you_ gone through that's so bad?" Valerie asked. "Your parents were killed when you were little by the Sableye under Primal Dialga's rule. Boo-hoo! Oh, life must be so hard, being able to see them whenever you want anyways, and having half an eternity to get over it!"

Dusknoir's stomach-mouth growled and opened slightly, baring long, knife-like teeth that she had never seen before. She didn't even think it had teeth. Dusknoir's blood-red eye shone like a spotlight for a moment as he looked down at her. "Choose your next words very carefully."

"Or what?"

"You have yet to see me at my full potential," Dusknoir replied. "I assure you that however strong you believe you are… not only will I win, but I will utterly destroy your physical body, then drag your soul down into the Distortion World where you will be tormented until Dialga takes notice and pulls you from the fiery depths."

"And what will Giratina think of that? Hm? Imprisoning a Temporal Guardian in his domain? That will create a civil war amongst the sons of Arceus!"

"No one cares that much about you," Dusknoir growled. "You are not a Temporal Guardian, so Dialga does not value your life above any other on the Temporal Tree. Lord Giratina does not care enough to make it his concern, and Palkia is still too occupied restoring the rifts in space to make it his concern, either."

"Okay, okay…" Valerie wiped the tears from her eyes and clenched her fists. "Good luck."

She materialized her wand in her hand and extended it into a full-length staff in the blink of an eye, slamming the hilt of it into his stomach, sending him flying backwards.

She teleported on top of him as he tried to right himself and pressed the u-shaped top of her staff around his oversized neck. "'No-one cares'… that's what you said."

Dusknoir phased through her staff and slammed his fist into the side of her head, knocking her to the ground before picking her up by the hair on the back of her neck. "Correct. In your trying to teach Roy about humility and humbleness, you have forgotten to apply those practices to your own life. You have become arrogant and self-centered during your time in exile."

Valerie grabbed his wrist and used thunder punch, sending a current of bright blue electricity across the Grand Reaper's skin, but he barely flinched as he slammed her face-first into the ground, then enveloped her in darkness. She tried to right herself, but the darkness around her dragged her into an infinite void; One that she had never seen before. It was nothing but darkness all around her, yet she could see pale outlines of spirits clawing at her, longing to escape from wherever they were trapped. She was floating weightlessly as a bright red light shone on her. Her eyes shot open in terror as Dusknoir towered over her, easily a hundred feet tall, his eye as large as a Golurk and as bright as a star. She tried to steady herself with psychic as his voice boomed across the strange dimension. " **Now you will see my true power.** "

She shot a mystical fire attack at him, trying to at least get a little damage off so she could break this illusion, but the mouth on his stomach hinged open with a terrifying roar, swallowing the pillar of fire, and she watched helplessly as he continued to grow in size, eventually sprouting several spectral hands out of his sides and neck frills that sent shivers across her skin. His stomach-mouth opened once more, revealing a long, pitch-black, spiked tongue that wrapped around her, dragging her into the darkness of his stomach as the spines dug into her skin, cutting gashes across her arms and face. She tried to superheat her skin, but the temperature around her dropped in an instant, her fur frosting over, negating any heat she tried to form.

"Paeta!" She tried desperately to escape as her skin began losing all feeling from the numbing cold, but Dusknoir re-appeared inside of himself before her very eyes and grabbed both sides of her head, slowly drilling into her skull with nothing but shadows that seemed to move and swirl around her. She screamed in agony as she felt herself losing all feeling in her body.

" **Valerie… I hope you know that you brought this upon yourself.** "  
Then she was sitting on her bed, perfectly fine. But the memory of the pain was still unimaginable. Her head still ached from the drilling of the shadows, and her hands were completely numb. She couldn't even ignite her hands to warm them up.

"What…"

" **Do not test me again."**

Then she felt a cold breeze rush past her, rustling her fur, and her fireplace roared to life once more. She slowly rose from her bed, blinking the tears out of her eyes as her hands quivered uncontrollably. For the first time in her life, she had experienced true terror. And it was not something she wanted to experience again.

 **-3rd Person-**

Dawn narrowed her eyes, trying to block out the blaring sirens that echoed across the metal and stone halls of the prison. She stepped into a narrow passageway as several Magneton flew past her, then quickly turned the corner, only to freeze when she saw Connor blocking her path. She coated her fist in psychic energy and shook her head slowly as the brown-haired human stood his ground without so much as a flinch. "Get out of my way."

"No."

She scoffed and tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm faster than she could react and slung her around his head, throwing her to the ground before planting his foot on her chest. "Don't do this, Dawn. I promise, it won't be worth it."

*Halt!* they both gasped as two Magneton flew towards them, and Connor's eyes flashed blue before he pointed down the hall to their left. "She went that way! I couldn't stop her!"

The two Magneton flew in the direction he pointed, and he looked down at her with a saddening smile. "Dawn… I want to help you. I really do. Having all of my memories of my entire life… it helps me see the entire picture. But killing Victor is not going to accomplish what you think it will."

Dawn knocked his foot off of her chest and tried to throw him into the wall with a psychic pulse, but he planted his feet on the ground and didn't even budge. She tried to physically push him after standing up, but he leaned to the side and dodged her shove, causing her to lose her balance slightly. He took that opportunity to sweep her legs out from underneath her in the blink of an eye, and she slammed her fist into the ground in frustration before looking up at him with tears or sorrow in her eyes. "Why are you defending him?!"

Connor sighed and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet as he looked her in the eyes. "...You sound just like Aaron."

"We are nothing alike!" she cried as she began backing away from him.

"You're bent on revenge. You'll do anything to kill the one that did you wrong. Who does that sound like?"

Dawn slashed at him with her elbow blades with a heartbroken cry, but he closed his fist, and her entire body felt like it was submerged in honey. It suddenly became nearly impossible to move. Connor turned his hand in a counterclockwise motion, and her arms were moved back to her sides in spite of herself. She clenched her fists and openly wept as she screamed at him. "I AM NOT LIKE HIM! HE HAS NO SHAME IN WHAT HE'S DONE! DON'T COMPARE ME TO HIM!"

"I will do whatever it takes to break through to you!" he shouted back over the blaring sirens. Dawn tried to move, but he continued holding his fist closed, keeping her perfectly still without breaking a sweat.

"Connor, please, just let me do this... I don't care what happens afterwards…"

"But I do care. About you, and Roy, and doing what's right. That's why I won't let you kill him."

The Gallade sobbed and fell to her hands and knees as Connor released her from the temporal lock. "He doesn't deserve to live… after everything he's done…"  
"Dawn…" Connor snapped his fingers, and everything around them came to standstill. The alarms went silent, and the Gallade sensed no movement anywhere in the massive prison. "We have no right to determine who lives and dies. It's not our place."

"But he-"

"But nothing," he cut her off with a frown and pursed his lips as he tried to choose his next words. "I used to think the same way... that a person's actions determined who died and who lived. That's the way it was in the future. Those who opposed us died… and those who joined us survived. It wasn't really a choice. And when Dusknoir…" Connor blinked back tears and shook his head vigorously. "When he killed Grovyle, when he… when he betrayed us… I wanted him dead more than anything. But that kind of thinking… it's not right. We have to strive to be better than those who do wrong."

"Don't you remember what Victor did to your friends?!" Dawn cried. "He doesn't deserve to live!"

"I remember perfectly well…" Connor let out a soft exhale as he sat on the ground with crossed legs. "And it's harder than you could ever imagine… Having memories of two separate lives… And having to deal with the consequences of both."

The brown-haired human placed his hand on Dawn's arm, and she buried her head in his shoulder and wept. "Please… forgive me, Connor…"

"...I forgive you, Dawn. For everything. Now join us… and fight to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"Okay…" Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes with her forearm and nodded softly.

Then Connor smiled. It was the first time he'd genuinely smiled since Valerie had restored his memories. "Alright; But first we have to get out of here. The police aren't going to like it, but I can convince them to let you go."

"How? After everything I've done-"

"I'm very persuasive," the human replied before transforming back into a Swampert. "Now come on."

Dawn flinched as the alarms suddenly came back to life, blaring as if nothing had ever happened. "Thank you…"

 **-Jade-**

"Ughhh…" her eyes fluttered open slowly as she stretched her arms and yawned. She tilted her head to the side of where she lay and tried to take in what she was seeing. She was in a brightly lit room with platinum-gold floors and indigo-colored walls, with several columns of purple fire that rose to the star-dotted ceiling that seemed to rise a hundred feet in the air. Yet she felt no danger. There were several Marowak standing around her as well, only… their skin was dark grey, and their bone clubs had neon green flames on each end.

"Where am I?"

"Be still, child…" she tried to sit up as Dusknoir hovered closer, but the Supreme Grand Reaper held her down with some sort of gravity surge, forcing her head back onto the bed she was lying on.

"Dusknoir, where am I?"

"You are in Lord Giratina's Palace. I have persuaded him to allow you safe passage out of the Distortion World once you are healed."

"I'm… in the Distortion World?" she teared up and clenched her fists as all the memories resurfaced. "Roy…! Is he…?"

The colossal ghost nodded solemnly, and she wept. "Why… why did he have to go, Dusknoir?"

"No answer I give will satisfy you…" Dusknoir admitted as his shoulders dropped and he turned away from her. "You need more rest."

"No, I don't," she argued. "What is wrong with these Marowak? Their skin… it's-"

"A by-product of living in a realm of spirits," Dusknoir clarified. Then he opened his hand, and three orbs of neon blue light hovered out of his palm and transformed into full-sized pokémon with translucent blue skin. A Meganium, Pikachu and Smeargle all stood up slowly, then looked around in awe. Then the Smeargle saw her, and he broke down. "Jade…? Thank Arceus you're alright! But… your skin, it's… normal. What's going on?" he looked back at Dusknoir, who hovered silently off to the side. "Dusknoir, why did you bring us here? Where's Roy?"

"Vincent…" Jade pointed at the three crimson gems embedded in her skin, and he moved slightly closer to her. "Those look just like… No…" his eyes widened and he covered his mouth as he looked back and forth between Jade and Dusknoir. "He's gone?"

The Supreme Grand Reaper gave a barely comprehensible nod, and Vincent shook his head defiantly. "No! If we're still here, that means that he…" Vincent's voice broke as he sat on the ground and sobbed.

"Everyone… I'm so terribly sorry…" Dusknoir hovered towards Jade while Caroline and Aaron sat silently to the side and put his index finger on the center gem. When he did that, Jade gasped for breath as a newfound power surged through her. She could see through the walls as though they were made of thin mist, and when she sat up, the flaming pillars were nearly extinguished by a blast of icy wind that emanated from her skin. Then Vincent, Aaron and Caroline were all vaporized, and the light blue essence swirled together and flew into the gems in her chest. She groaned in pain as the throbbing in her chest increased in intensity, **anOd** Dusknoir began moving his hand slowly in a circular motion, drawing the shadows closer to her. As soon as the darkness touched her skin, the pain stopped. She sighed with relief as Dusknoir pointed behind him and opened a black and indigo portal that began drawing her into its center. "Dusknoir… will he come back?"

The Supreme Grand Reaper hesitated, but shook his head solemnly. "No."

The tears froze against her ice-cold skin as she floated closer to the portal, and as soon as she touched it, she was at the entrance of Magnezone's prison in the middle of the great mountain range.

"Jade!" Alice, Magnus and Nocturne all ran towards her, seemingly out of nowhere, but she turned intangible, allowing them to phase right through her momentarily.

"Where were you?!" Alice questioned. "We were all worried sick when you flew through the wall!"

"I…" she began crying, and Alice's expression instantly softened at the bewildering sight.

"Jade…" Alice extended her arms, and she embraced the Lopunny and wept after solidifying.

"He's gone…"

"Who?" Hearing Nocturne's voice made her even more furious at herself after what she had felt when Roy said goodbye.

"Roy… He's not coming back."

* * *

Okay, first of all I am so sorry for not posting for like a month! I've been working on a secret project on the side (a book I'm actually looking to get published), and I've been struggling to balance everything back out. It's been a weird transition into college life and working and stuff. It's different from high school. But a lot better. I know that there's no excuse, and I sincerely apologize for the super long wait, but here's chapter 18! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, go ahead and leave any questions, comments, concerns or theories about what might happen in the form of a review or PM! It's always appreciated! Much Love!

-PL


	19. Chasing Inspiration

**Okay, so first off, I sincerely apologize for the delayed posting; Second, I'll explain more in-depth after this chapter! I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 **-Chapter XIX: Chasing Inspiration-**

 **-Atlas-**

When he came to, he was in darkness. He felt a light pressure on his chest, almost as if something were on top of him. He grunted softly and tried to sit up, but whatever was on top of him was _really_ heavy. He took a deep breath and used his lower two arms to prop himself up, then solidified his shadow hand before slamming his two upper fists into the mysterious object, sending it soaring through the air. He rubbed the back of his head and squinted as the sunlight poured over him. He smiled and breathed in the fresh air, taking in his surroundings with a newfound appreciation. But when he looked around, he was someplace he didn't recognize. On every side, there were walls a hundred feet high of solid earth, like a mile-wide sinkhole. Then he looked further and covered his mouth in shock. All around him were dozens of corpses littering a ruined landscape. He struggled to stand as he propped himself against a splintered pillar of wood that was broken in two.

He began stumbling across the uneven terrain, then gasped as a Metagross landed on the ground in front of him with earth-shaking force. Its eyes glowed pink, and he struggled to remain standing as his arms were bent backwards. He closed his fist and tried to call the shadows to himself, but the Metagross forced him into the ground. He bellowed a flamethrower from his mouth, but a blue protect barrier appeared in front of it, absorbing the flames and leaving him utterly defenseless. Atlas cried out in pain as the Metagross pressed down harder, bending his bones to their absolute limit. *Atlas Valtio… I knew you would be here…*

Then a massive boulder covered in green flames crashed into the top of the steel-type, breaking his psychic hold. Atlas covered his face with his hands as the bits of stone and dust blew over him before falling to one knee, using his lower two hands to hold himself up. The next thing he knew after he looked back up, the Metagross was on its back, fumbling to get up as an even bigger pokémon's hands were set ablaze, pummeling it relentlessly.

The Metagross tucked its legs into its metal body and began flying away, but the other pokémon, still enshrouded by a thick dust cloud, took to the air as well before slamming it back into the ground. The steel-type shot a shadow ball in retaliation, but the other pokémon dodged and appeared to punch the Metagross repeatedly with fists of fire before stopping and emerging from the cloud of dust with a victorious smile. "Wow! That was awesome!"

Atlas tilted his head as he looked up at the colossal Dragonite standing before him. It was easily seven feet tall, and bigger than Vulcan, or even Magnus. "...Rose?!"

The Dragonite grinned and helped him stand up. "You know it!"

"What… when did you…"  
"After Roy brought me back, I went straight to Luminous Springs! Then I came back here because I figured that's where some of you guys were! I'm glad I got here in time!"

"Thanks… But where is everyone else? Shouldn't they be-"

He stopped mid-sentence when an ear-rattling boom of thunder shook the ground around them. "...Aaron?"

"Who's Aaron?" Rose asked.

"Right… He joined after you… yeah," he replied. "Can you carry me while flying?"

"Of course!" Rose beamed as she grabbed hold of his two upper arms and took flight. Within a matter of seconds, they were at the edge of the crater, looking down on the ruins of the Mafia's Village. Then he narrowed his eyes as a new smell came to him. "Smoke. There's no clouds, though..."

Rose pointed behind him, and he turned around to see a dark grey plume of smoke rising from the grasslands. "I think that's where it came from."

They both moved closer to the origin point of the plume of smoke, but paused when they heard Aaron's shouts. "NO!"

"Uh… Aaron?" Rose called out.

No response. They glanced at each other and pushed through the chest-high grass until they nearly tripped over him. He was curled on the ground, weeping almost inaudibly.

"Yo, Aaron, we're back!" Atlas grabbed the Pikachu's shoulders, but was instantly thrown backwards by a discharge of electricity.

"Please… just go away…" the sorrow in the electric-type's voice made Atlas tear up even in light of their resurrection.

"What…? What're you talking about? We're back! Roy did it!"

"Yeah… he did..." he muttered before rising to his feet.

Atlas tilted his head "Aaron? You alright?"

"I… I'm sorry. I… I'll be fine. How did you two find me?"

"We heard a big ol' thing of thunder when you revived," Atlas said. "So we followed it."

"Well where do we go now?" Rose asked. "Back to Treasure Town?"

"Why not?" Atlas looked around for a moment, then chuckled nervously. "...Which way is that?"

"Uh… I don't know… I can fly into the air and get a vantage point!" Rose exclaimed. "Let's do this!"

She leapt into the air and took off with rapid beats of her wings, soaring hundreds of feet into the air and nearly disappearing from sight.

 **-Jade-**

Everyone was getting kind of uneasy since the alarms had gone off. They had stopped for about a minute, but resumed just as suddenly.  
"Connor and Vulcan are both in there," Nocturne said. "I wonder what went wrong?"

"Dawn probably broke free," Alice muttered. "We never should have trusted her… Now they're both in danger again!"

"Alice, with all due respect, you need to calm down," Vincent said.

"Are you serious?!" her voice was filled with rage now, and Vincent couldn't help but wince. Even Magnus shifted uneasily from the power behind her voice. "We've been through so much in these short few weeks, and you have the nerve to tell me to calm down?! Connor and Vulcan are in danger again, and I'm not going to stand back and do nothing!"

Vincent went to say something, but then the cliffside in front of them exploded outwards. Jade formed a shadow barrier around them, stopping most of the debris dead in its tracks, then began swirling a flurry of razor-sharp ice around her, ready to attack any outlaw that decided to show its face.  
"My gosh…" Connor and Vulcan both climbed over the rubble, the former of the two nearly collapsing after transforming back into his human form, and everyone rushed to their aid. Magnus picked up Vulcan with four Vine whips and fed him an oran berry from his treasure bag while Alice and Vincent helped Connor lean against the wall.

"Wow… you're a sight for sore eyes…" Connor laughed, but everyone's initial joy was dashed when Dawn emerged from over the small hill of rubble. Alice readied a shadow ball between her hands, Magnus began absorbing sunlight, and Vincent transformed into a Mightyena. "How are you not dead?!"  
"Everyone!" their attention became immediately affixed on Connor, who forced himself to his feet and gestured to Dawn. "She is not our enemy."  
Alice's jaw dropped, as did Jade's. "...! Are you kidding me?!" the Lopunny nearly dropped her shadow ball without dissipating it. "She killed us, Connor! You're telling me she's not our enemy?!"

"I know… Alice, listen to me…"

The Lopunny wiped the tears out of her eyes and moved towards him while Magnus and Vincent still held their gaze on the Gallade. "Tell me why… Please..."

"Because she did it against her will. I promise."

"Connor, you know I adore you… you are the best leader anyone could ask for… And you always give second chances… but this…" she shook her head and backed away from him. "This is too much."

"Alice, what are you doing?" Vincent asked.

"I don't want anything to do with this team if you defend someone who murdered your friends," she said while looking directly at Connor.

"It's not right, I know…" Connor leaned his head against the stone cliffside with a soft groan as he sat down. "But I'm begging you… to see things from my perspective."

"From your perspective?! You're the only one who wasn't killed!" Alice fumed. "How do you know _anything_ about what we went through?!"

"I don't. But as your leader-"

"No! A leader wouldn't do this to his friends!" Alice cut him off, her voice breaking from sorrow. "I knew that after your memories were brought back, you'd be different. But you're not the same Connor that I looked up to. I admired you! Me, Mirage, Roy, Atlas, Vincent… we all wanted to be just like you! Did you know that?"

Connor was silent in response, not even tearing up, and Alice got right in his face, her cheeks soaked with tears. "I want you back, Connor. Before all of this; Before you got your stupid memories taken away, then brought back, or whatever it was… I miss that you. The one who always knew to do what was right…"  
"Alice… I'm sorry that I'm not who you remember. But just hear me out this once. Dawn… she isn't evil."

Alice paused and glanced at Dawn, who stood perfectly still in the crosshairs of Magnus' solarbeam.

"I know." her lip quivered as the tears streaked down her face, but she nodded once before turning to Vulcan. "Do you agree with him?"

"I think that he's making the right call," the Charizard said.

"But do you agree with that call?"

Vulcan shook his head slowly and glanced between Dawn and Connor. "...No."

"Alice…" the Lopunny bristled up as the Gallade spoke. "I'm so sorry for putting you through this… I know you'll never forgive me, but I have to tell all of you… I am so, so sorry."

"Because of you, Roy is dead!" Jade growled at her. "Sorry won't bring him back!"

"...What?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Jade asked as the tears welling up in her eyes froze on her face. "He sacrificed himself to save us all… something that you caused. Not us. He didn't deserve _you_."

"Can I blast this b**** yet?" Magnus asked.

"No, Magnus. Let her go."

All eyes shifted to Vulcan now, who stood up and lumbered closer to Dawn, his eyes red and swollen from tears. "She's going to live with the consequences of her actions."

Magnus hesitated, but eventually the harsh glow of the solarbeam subsided, and Vulcan looked at Dawn with a look of… sorrow. Something she hadn't seen in the fire-type before. Certainly not towards her.

"Go back to Valerie. If she can fix this, then so be it. But let's be clear: we are not friends. If you contact any of us again, we will treat you as an enemy."  
Dawn bowed her head slightly in submission and warped away in a flash of light.

Shortly afterwards, Connor sat up with a soft groan. "I'm going to Destiny Tower."

"What? What tower?" Vulcan asked.

"Wigglytuff said that there's a tower far to the north… it's rumored to be the closest place on Varius to the hall of origin. If I can get to the top, maybe I can-"

"You're not going by yourself to a dungeon," Vulcan said. "We're going with you."

"You can't. It's a mystical place that only allows the leader of the group to go. And that's me."

"That's a load of sh**!" Magnus argued. "Let's get the f*** out of here before the police come and start riding our asses about what happened, then we can talk you out of it."

"Agreed." Jade placed her hands on the ground, drawing on all of the power she had received from Roy's gems, condensing the shadows cast by her teammates and transporting them through the shadow realm. She couldn't keep them there for more than a split second, but it was enough to warp them halfway across the continent, almost back to treasure town. Her skin was cracked and steaming from the effort, but before she collapsed, she heard a small, whispering voice tell her to get up. The gems in her chest began glowing dimly with a soft red light before filling her with a fresh burst of energy. Her fatigue vanished as she righted herself, and she observed the rest of the team silently while Alice and Vulcan spoke with Connor, who transformed back into a Swampert.

"Connor, how do you know you can reach Arceus there?"

"I don't. But what choice do I have?"

"Destiny tower? Really? How do you know it exists?"

"Because Wigglytuff said it does. I need to find him and let him take me there."

"Connor… if Arceus does exist… what makes you think he'll care now?"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do, Alice?!" Connor raged. "Just let him die and not do anything about it?!"

"I'm not saying that-"

"That's sure what it sounds like! Roy gave his life to save yours! The least you can do is support me when I want to bring him back!"

"Connor, you need to reign in your emotions," Jade said with a harsh scowl. "You are our leader, but you are not the only one on the team. I will support you in your decision to find this tower… but I have reason to doubt that Wigglytuff is as knowledgeable as you believe."

"Oh, I think he knows." Everyone's eyes widened as Chatot landed between them all, and Wigglytuff appeared in a flash of turquoise light. "Hiya, friends!"  
"...You're a Temporal Guardian," Vulcan said.

"Yup! I thought you knew already!"

"I don't-"

"It's alright! Let's get back to town!" Wigglytuff clapped his hands together, and they were all suddenly standing in Wigglytuff's Guild. Magnus stumbled and fell against the wall, cursing up a storm on his way down.

"There will be no foul language spoken in this Guild," Chatot said.

Magnus growled softly before nodding his head. "Got it."

"Guys!" Atlas and Aaron both ran up to them, followed by a Dragonite that none of them recognized. Atlas gestured back to her with a smile. "It's Rose! We're all back!"

"Where's Caroline?" Vulcan asked.

"Oh, I brought her back to her world," Valerie explained as she phased through the wall. "Along with Ryder and Team Veros. Good riddance of that team, honestly."

"I didn't know they were from another world," Vulcan and Connor both said, to which she replied simply, "Well, not another world, exactly… more like a parallel timeline. Those two were your equivalents; Ryder was a human, Caroline found him on the beach, all that fun stuff. Team Virus, however, was a more intimidating and effective form of Team Skull."

"Then what were they doing here?" Vulcan's voice rose slightly, hinting at his frustration. "We didn't even get to say goodbye!"

"Yeah… sorry. Their existence in this timeline was the result of a higher power. I just had to set it right because Wigglytuff said so." Valerie shrugged dismissively and smiled at Connor. "You… you've surprised us all time and time again…"

"Who's all of you? And why did you just brush over taking Caroline away?"

Before Valerie could reply, Alice spoke up. "Where's Dawn?"

"Who?"

Everyone glared at the fallen Temporal Guardian, and she put her hands up in mock surrender. "Hold on, it's coming back to me... Aha! She asked me to fix all this, and when I said I couldn't, she cried and ran off."

"So what, you can just warp our friend back into a parallel timeline that she was from, but you can't fix this?" Connor asked.

"You know why," Valerie said. "Or do I need to jog your memories again?"

Connor clenched his fists, but Wigglytuff stepped between them with a broad smile. "Friends, let's not fight-"

"She's not our friend," Connor growled.

"Really? After all I've done for you, I'm not even your friend?"

"What exactly have you done for us?" Connor asked.

"Okay, so let's pretend that I don't know everything… I helped Roy because I wanted you all to win against the Mafia- Which you did. Victor and Mordred are locked away, and your entire team is alive minus Roy. He went out like a hero, and I paved the way for the future generation. When you and Amber hooked up in Mirage's palace, a child was conceived. That child that will save the world sometime in the future, provided you can convince Dialga not to kill it along with Amber for breaking the vow of abstinence. My idea!"

"...She's in danger?" Connor's hostility vanished at the mention of Amber's safety.

"Pfft, she's going to die for sure if you don't get it together and find the Hall of Origin."

"How do I get there?"

"Destiny Tower. Wigglytuff can show you in a little bit. Oh, and the rest of you can't follow him in. You'll all be separated and picked off one by one by the enemies since your power levels are reduced to that of a newborn, okay? Okay. I need to handle a couple other things, so I'll see you in the Hall of Origin!" Valerie twirled her wand and vanished in a flash of light, not her typical tornado of fire.

Everyone stood there, still in shock at her semi-rant. Connor quickly got over it and beelined straight for Wigglytuff. "Take me to Destiny Tower."

"...Okay." Wigglytuff grabbed his hand, and they both vanished in a flash of Turquoise light.

* * *

 **Alllright! So it's been a long time, I know... It's been a busy past few months for me, but that's no excuse for forgetting about y'all! I'm currently working on each chapter as it comes to me since I rushed this story at the beginning of the year, and for that, I sincerely apologize. It's not like me to begin uploading an unfinished work, but I will do better. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories, go ahead and leave them in the form of a Review or PM! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	20. Forgotten Destiny

**-Chapter XX: Forgotten Destiny-**

 **-Connor-**

"Okay, so how do I do this?" Connor asked.

"It's pretty simple. Difficult, but simple," Wigglytuff said with a smile as they stood before an absurdly massive tower that reached above the clouds. "This is the most difficult mystery dungeon on Varius. Your strength and endurance will be reduced to the point when you first came to this world, including your moves. Your species' natural abilites will remain intact, such as breathing underwater and resistance to fire, as well as a fraction of your natural toughness, but it will be like you're a baby Swampert. You'll be lucky if you can use water gun. Also, you can't bring items or poké."

"Well that's great… what are the enemies like?"

"I'm not sure; I haven't made it past the 30th floor," Wigglytuff said before patting him on the back. "But there are lots of every kind of pokémon in there, so it'll take everything you've learned these past couple years to make it. I believe in you, though!"

Connor looked at the entrance, two massive stone doors with floral patterns etched into them, sealed by what he assumed was a mystical barrier, and began moving forward. "What happens if I get knocked out?"

"Your badge will transport you back to the guild, and you can try again."

"Okay…" Connor shook his head vigorously and emptied his bag into the Kangaskhan storage before putting the palm of his oversized hand on the door. The floral pattern lit up with a blue light, and an omnipresent voice washed over him, forcing him to his knees.

" _ **You who wishes to reach the pinnacle destiny tower… In the name of Arceus the Great Creator, I offer you passage into the great dungeon."**_

Connor glanced back at Wigglytuff, but he was nowhere to be found. Connor cautiously turned back to the two stone doors as they swung inwards, revealing a massive hallway with stairs lit up at the end, as though it were begging for him to enter.

"Okay… I can do this… It's just another mission..." Connor trudged forward, ignoring the dark spots to his left and right where anything could be lurking. He had never felt anything like this before… it didn't feel hostile, but he could feel his strength being drained with each step he took.

Once he was a few steps away from the stairs, he heard light shuffling behind him. He turned and clenched his fists, ready to fight, but chuckled lightly at the Machop that appeared out of the shadows. He was about as large as Connor's arm, and he didn't look anywhere near as muscular as Atlas. "Hey man. How you doing?"

The Machop growled wordlessly and swung at him. He blocked the attack with his arm and punched the Machop, which should have been more than enough to knock it out, but it didn't appear to do much more than irritate the fighting-type as its feet didn't even budge. Connor's eyes shot open as its fist glowed white and punched his chest, sending him flying into the wall. He stood up shakily, his jaw hanging open slightly at what just transpired. "So that's what he meant…"

He spewed a hydro pump at the fighting-type to make space between them, but a small trickle of water emerged from his mouth, shooting only a few feet before harmlessly splashing on the cobblestone floor. "Oh, come _on_!"

The Machop rushed forward, smashing him into the wall again. He kicked it with his rear legs as it pinned him to the wall, but the abnormally strong fighting-type only stumbled backwards a couple steps before continuing his onslaught. Within a matter of moments, he was unconscious from the force of the successive blows.

He woke up in the infirmary in Wigglytuff's Guild, with the rest of the team standing around him. He jolted upright, then grunted as his chest exploded in pain. Magnus glared at him, not skipping a beat to tell him off. "What the hell happened? It didn't take you all but ten minutes to get sent back here with the s**t beat out of you!"

"That dungeon… it's unreal…" Connor groaned as his head laid on the pillow.

"Told you!" Wigglytuff said as he marched in. "You'd have to apply everything you've ever learned as an explorer to make it!"

"How the heck am I supposed to do that?! I didn't even make it to the stairs!"

"Look around next time you go in. You need to find the items on the floor to help you. Not exactly the most powerful items, but they'll help."

"Okay… How long until I can go back?"

Chimecho fed him some oran paste before helping him up. "You can go now if you're up for it. There's not a whole lot of preparing you can do."

"Yep…"

"Connor, you can't be serious!" Vulcan exclaimed. "I'll go."

"No, Vulcan. I have to do this."

"You can assign a new temporary leader; We can take turns!" Vulcan pleaded.

"I'm down for a challenge," Atlas said. "It'll be fun."

"There's nothing fun about it… Atlas, you'll be at your lowest level of Machop strength, and won't have any of your elemental punches or moves."

Atlas' shoulders dropped slightly at the news. "...But still! I'd love the challenge!"

"And get the s**t beat out of you like him?" Magnus asked. "I'll go."

"No, I can do it," Nocturne said. "I can sneak through with sandstorms."

"You don't create sandstorms naturally though," Alice said. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"What about me? I can mimic anything any of those pokémon can do!" Vincent said. "I don't really have a base power level!"

Connor paused for a moment, considering that option. "...Alright. Vincent, I give you temporary leadership of Team Firestorm for the sake of the mission. Do your best to conquer Destiny Tower."

"Will do, boss!" Vincent tipped his painters' hat with a smirk and moved over to Wigglytuff. "Alright, let's do this!"  
Wigglytuff nodded and grabbed his hands before vanishing in a flash of turquoise light.

 **-Vincent-**

"Oh, wow…" Vincent craned his neck as he looked towards the top of the tower that reached above the clouds. "This place _is_ huge."

"Okay, so remember: Items are everything here. Do your best to find anything you can," Wigglytuff reminded him.

"Okay, got it," Vincent hopped up and down excitedly. As soon as he moved closer to the door, the floral pattern turned bright green as an omnipresent voice washed over him.

" _ **You who wishes to reach the pinnacle of destiny tower… In the name of Arceus the Great Creator, I offer you passage into the great dungeon."**_

The doors swung inward, revealing the same narrow hallway that Connor had described in his sleep. "Okay… you got this, Vincent…"

He formed a paint sword and shield as he moved forward, but with each step, the solidity of his paint vanished, leaving pools of paint on the ground. Vincent clutched his tail nervously, his excitement vanishing as the doors closed behind him. He sprinted towards the staircase, but was cut off by a Treecko that moved between him and the stairs.

"So what can you do?" Vincent teased. The Treecko blasted him with a flurry of bullet seeds, which hurt a _lot_ more than they should have. Several of them punctured his skin, and he grimaced as he felt his forehead and saw blood on his hand. "Okay…"

He thrust his tail forward, launching a green paint bullet seed at the Treecko, who closed his eyes and took the attack without so much as a wince. Vincent stepped back slightly, looking around for any items that would help. It was dark aside from the spotlight over the staircase. The Treecko darted forward, forcing him to leap to the side to avoid a power-up punch. "Yo, can we work something out please?!"

The Treecko launched another bullet seed attack, and Vincent raised a shield made of paint, hiding behind it the best he could, but it didn't last more than a second before being torn apart under the onslaught. He sprinted behind one of the pillars supporting the ceiling, gulping down air and uselessly reaching through his bag. "A freakin' Treecko… who would've thought…"

He emerged from behind the pillar, using bullet seed again, but the grass-type ran forward, dodging the attack in its entirety before slamming Vincent with its tail. He tumbled backwards and coated his hand in paint, forming it into a hammer-like shape that he swung with all of his might at the Treecko. The paint hammer exploded from the force of the blow that brought the Treecko to its hands and knees. Vincent took that opportunity to kick the side of its head, knocking it out. He sighed with relief and hobbled around the room, scavenging for items strewn about. He found one oran berry and four iron spikes, but other than that, there wasn't anything else. He put the items in his bag and climbed up the stairs into the next floor. "Alright… this is gonna be _fun_."

 **-Dawn-**

"Valerie!" Dawn cried out into the open air of the forest, tears of sorrow soaking her face. "I know you can hear me!"  
"Any louder and I'd probably go deaf," the Delphox complained as she emerged from the shadows cast by the densely set trees. "I already told you I can't do anything about this timeline."

"Please, I'm begging you…"

"If you have to beg, you don't deserve what you're asking for," the fire-type deadpanned. "I want him back, too… but there's nothing we can do."

"Why not?!"

"I've already done everything I can," Valerie said. "Anything more and this branch of time would die. I've worked too hard for too long to let it all go to waste now."

Dawn clenched her fists and looked away from the silver-skinned Delphox before teleporting as far away as her abilities could take her. The white and gold world warped around her and only came into focus as she was thrown to the ground at the peak of one of the mountains of the East Golurk Mountain Range. She sobbed uncontrollably, shouting at the top of her lungs with heart-wrenching agony. "ARCEUS, WHY?!"

"Hm?"

Dawn flinched launched a psycho cut at the source of the noise before turning around. She tilted her head slightly as a Hypno with several scars along its stomach sat cross-legged a few feet away, his eyes closed with a small smile on his face as he held the psycho cut in his left palm. "Dawn Wispell, isn't it?"

"Who are you?" she mumbled as she wiped the tears off of her face.

"Someone who hurt your leaders too… Has it already been 3 years?" he replied as he dissipated the psychic energy.

"Did Valerie send you?"

"No, I haven't left this mountain for almost a year now... but she did say she was sending someone to meet with me. I presume that's you."

"What do you want?" even though she wanted to leave, something in her told her to stay as the psychic type spoke with a calming tone.

"I want you to know… that there _is_ a way to leave your past mistakes behind."

Dawn laughed sardonically and began walking away. "Nothing you have to say will let me forget what I've had to do."

"I can offer you a way out of the prison of your memories."

She paused for a moment, causing the Hypno to chuckle warmly. She sensed no hostility in him; Only peace. "I promise this isn't a trick. I know what you've had to do, and I wouldn't wish your life on anyone."

"You don't know me," she growled. "You don't know who I am…"

The hypno opened his startling blue eyes, sending chills down her spine as he held her firmly in place with psychic. "Your emotions have dulled your sense. I've felt the abuse you've endured, the horrible punishments you've suffered through, watching your mate die, then being the cause of his second death nine years later. I'd say I know you pretty well."

She winced as he released his hold on her, staying silent as he closed his eyes once more. "Now how do you want to go about this? I could rewrite your memories or even erase them entirely if you wanted."

She didn't even hesitate. "I want them gone."

The Hypno sighed softly before replying. "You just want the bad memories gone, Dawn. That's not going to work."

"Then get rid of everything!" she pleaded. "I don't care; I don't want any of this to have happened!"

The Hypno rubbed his nose softly, sniffling in response. "Your pain is unimaginable… I understand. Come here."

Dawn trudged across the mountaintop, sitting in front of the mysterious psychic type in silence for an unnecessarily long time before speaking. "...Sir?"

He extended his hand in the blink of an eye, placing his palm on her forehead. In that moment, her entire life flashed before her eyes.

 ***Flashback***

"Mother, I'm going with Castiel!" she exclaimed.

"Dawn, you know he's no good for you! Working with that Honchkrow is asking for trouble!" the Gardevoir replied as she moved through the small wooden cabin.

"But I can change that! I can talk him out of it!"

The Gardevoir sighed heavily, her shoulders drooping after reading her daughter's mind. "I'm not going to change your mind… just remember… you always have a choice. If anything ever happens, you can always come back to us."

"Mother… nothing's going to happen!"

"Mhmm." the Gardevoir picked up the little Ralts, who was simply a late evolver, and kissed her on the cheek. "I love you… but please don't do anything that will change your life."

"Of course not! Castiel and I are going to become the greatest explorers ever!"

Dawn sobbed uncontrollably as the scenes shifted almost too rapidly for her to focus on. Then the tears receded as Castiel's face overtook her mind. "Dawn… I love you more than life itself… I promise, from this day forward, that I will never abandon you. Even in the afterlife, I promise… There is no wall I won't tear down to find you."

The next series of memories were the happiest two years of her life. She woke up with Castiel by her side, and everything was great. They travelled the world together, going to every continent that had been explored. They had met kings and queens of different kingdoms, countless guildmasters on every continent. They had explored Mystery Dungeons ranging from inside Volcanoes, to inside a mysterious tree as tall as Temporal Tower, all the way to the bottomless sea. Life was good.

The next thing she knew, she came back to her home one evening two years after being with Castiel, only to find it blown to bits. They both sifted through the rubble, tossing beams of wood aside all while crying out for her mother. But she didn't answer. The next few days were spent in agonizing fits of rage. She awoke most mornings not sure if she was really gone, still reaching out with a telepathic link, praying to Arceus that there would be a response.

Not even a week later, their home was blasted apart by that damned Pikachu, who killed her mate without a second thought. She was heartbroken as she was teleported away against her will, given power she didn't ask for. Her vision faded, but every other sense in her body was heightened to an unimaginable level. She could feel the life energy of every living thing for miles and miles. She wandered aimlessly across Immanis for several months before being approached by the Honchkrow Castiel had worked for.

"I want to sincerely apologize for your losses… I can't imagine the pain you've gone through."

"You didn't seek me out just to tell me that," she replied. "What do you want?"

"I want to offer you a chance to avenge your mate."

"I don't want revenge. I want to be left alone."

"Ah… I see. Well, allow me to give you this, then."

He extended his wing, and she fell to her knees as her vision returned. The colors of the world left her in tears, and the Honchkrow put his wing on her shoulder. "I can give you this… if you help me."

The next few years were only describable as a living hell. She fell into the mafia life, and she fell hard. She was caught up in a vicious cycle of abuse, both emotionally and physically. She tried to fight back at first, but the dark types in the group would only hold her down while others did unspeakable things that she never wanted to experience again. She cried out for Castiel, for her mother, her father, but no-one came. The evil pokémon in that group slowly broke her spirit, brainwashing her into becoming a mindless servant, holding the gift of sight in front of her, taunting her, forcing her to stay because she wanted that more than anything in the world. Then one day, after nearly a decade of agonizing torture, news of a Charizard having a valuable treasure surfaced. Victor wanted her find him and track him down. First he hid in the plains to the east of the great mountain range. She found him, and Victor killed his wife, who died protecting their son. She felt sorry for Iden, so she gave him a month to get as far away as possible, telling the others that she simply couldn't find him. When she told Mordred, she was beaten and bruised beyond anything she'd felt until that point. Eventually, she gave in to the vicious attacks, unable to take anything further.

"He's on Blizzard Island… his son is dead."

Victor burned the entire village he had hidden in to the ground. Once she received news of the countless lives lost, she broke down. She tried to kill Victor, but nearly lost her life from the multiple slashes of Mordred's blades. The only reason she had lived was because Victor let her. He only needed her strength, but she couldn't escape. She was powerless to stop him.

The Hypno paused for a moment, bringing her back to her reality. She looked up at him, her eyes swollen and her face streaked with tears. "Why did you stop?"

"After all of that… you're still alive, and fighting to right your wrongs," the Hypno replied. "If I erase any more, you'll cease to be who you are. That's as far as I can go."

"So I can forget the last 10 years?"

"Until you met Team Firestorm. You'll know what you did to them, and why you did it, but the trauma of it all can be lessened," the Hypno said simply. "I'm afraid that that's all I can do for you."

"That's fine… anything helps," she said. "Just let me forget what those bastards did to me."

The Hypno nodded, and when she blinked, she felt surprisingly… at peace. She smiled and laughed, crying tears of joy. The pain was finally gone. "Thank you…"

* * *

 **So this was a bit of a heavier chapter that delved into Dawn's past a little bit more, while also showing the frustration that is destiny tower. :P I hope you all enjoyed! I apologize for the late upload, especially on New Years' eve, but I wanted to get one out before 2018! Happy new years to you all, and thank you all for being so supportive of me all the time! I'll be working on finishing this story soon! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	21. Never Give Up

**-Chapter XXI: Never Give Up-**

 **-Vincent-**

He narrowly dodged a water gun from a Starmie that popped out of the water to his left, leaping to the side while firing a bullet seed attack, knocking it out in one shot, much to his surprise. He kept count of how many times he'd used the attack since using it too much would disable it until he drank an ether or elixir. After that one, he had five shots left. But he had sketched an ember attack, vine whip, bite and hydro pump, so he would be fine for at least a few more floors.

He moved quickly through the cave-like environment, doing his best to stay out of sight of any of the enemies. He gasped lightly when he felt a pressure plate beneath his foot, rolling his eyes as he brushed the dust away. He cursed under his breath as soon as he saw the dull pink cloud on the cover. "Attractant… are you kidding me…?"

As soon as he lifted his foot, the pink aroma flooded the room, pouring down the entire hallway in a matter of seconds. He sprinted down the least clouded hallway, trying desperately not to get caught in between several pokémon at once as they swarmed towards the source of the attractant. He pulled a warp orb out of his bag and smashed it against the ground, instantly teleporting him to another location on the floor. He looked around, and after determining the room was safe for a minute, he took a deep breath and tried to decide which route to take. His moment of safety was short-lived as another starmie erupted from the shallow pool to his right, scoring a direct hit with a hydro pump, knocking him out instantly.

He awoke in the infirmary of Wigglytuff's guild, with everyone else standing over him. "...How long did I make it?"

"Longer than Connor," Magnus joked. "Maybe an hour. What floor did you make it to?"

"I lost count at eight… I don't know how we're gonna make it to the top."

"Okay… so who's next?" Connor asked.

"Me." Vincent, Atlas and Nocturne all turned to Jade, who floated forward slowly without any emotion in her crystal blue eyes. "Wigglytuff… Take me to Destiny Tower."

The Guildmaster nodded and vanished in a flash of turquoise light after grabbing Jade's hands. The rest of the team muttered amongst themselves, several of them just sitting down against the wall, staring into the middle distance. Connor sat up and rolled over to face Alice, who was crying into her hands while sitting against the wall. "Alice-"

"You'd better be right about this whole 'Arceus' thing," she seethed. Connor nodded slowly and tried to rest his hand on her shoulder, but she winced and pulled away before standing up and leaving the infirmary.

Connor glance at Atlas, who shrugged in confusion as well. "I'll go get her."

Connor pursed his lips as he tried to think of what to say. "Okay, team… let's just camp out in the guild for now until Jade comes back."

 **-Jade-**

She wasted no time flying through the first floor. Her rage was matched only by her determination to bring an end to this cycle of death and bring Roy back. She remained intangible as she soared forward, flying straight through the Bellsprout and freezing it from the inside out on the way through. She floated up the stairs with a nonchalant expression as she powered through a Loudred's hyper voice due to her ghost typing, floating through the wall and using her spectral vision to navigate through the floor.

 _I don't see what the big deal is about this place…_ she thought to herself with an annoyed scowl. _Then again, they said that our moves and strength would be reduced to their most primitive levels. But I can still turn intangible and freeze any opponents._

She shrugged and floated up to the third floor without much of a fight. The second she came to the third floor, that's when it got challenging. The entire floor appeared to be the inside of a Volcano. She couldn't go near the walls, let alone phase through them due to the lava pouring down the sides. She tried to cool the wall off with a blast of icy wind, but only a small puff of steam came from her hands, doing nothing but evaporating in the sweltering heat. She flew forward as swiftly as she could, turning intangible only to avoid the punches of Monferno and Combusken. With every passing second, she could feel the energy being sucked out of her. This heat was devastating, and it was almost as if the mystery dungeon adapted to whoever was challenging it. She kept blowing cold air from her mouth to stave off the heat, but her strength was running out fast as the multiple fire-types closed in.

 _Don't lose here!_

Tears welled up in her eyes as the gems in her skin glowed in response to Roy's voice. "Roy…"

The gems released a pulse of purple energy, blasting all of the enemies away in the blink of an eye, and much to her surprise, a section of the floor crumbled away, revealing a staircase leading down. She tilted her head for a moment, but followed the urge to continue down the steps. As soon as the staircase vanished behind her, blinding lights blinked to life, revealing four shops manned by a Swalot, Lickilicky, Mime Jr. and Shedinja. The floor was composed of dirt, and there was an omnipresent music in the air that relaxed her mind. A kirlia appeared in front of her with a welcoming smile. "Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!"

Jade forced any thoughts of Dawn out of her mind before responding to the Kirlia. She had never seen any place like this before; She'd only heard about it from Vincent. "What is this place?"

"This is a wonderful place to calm your mind and spirit," the Kirlia said with a smile. "To your right, you have Swalot's grab bag shop! 100 Poké and you can choose a bag that has something wonderful inside!" she pointed to the wooden tables stacked around the poison-type, sporting dozens of identical silk bags with a poison symbol on them. "Just behind him is Lickilicky's cleansing shop! She'll clean any items that have gotten gunked up by traps and things of that sort!" That shop had several buckets of crystal clear water in a circle around the normal-type.

Jade shook her head, trying to back away. "I have a mission-"

"To reach the top of Destiny Tower, we know!" the Kirlia exclaimed. "That's why we revealed ourselves to you!"

Jade nodded slowly, "Then you know why I can't purchase anything from here."

"Oh, that's not a problem! Talk to Shedinja in the back!" Kirlia gestured to the bug-type, who was floating motionlessly above a simple stone platform. *Destiny tower is strange… it adapts to the explorer to overcome even the most powerful pokémon. Only two have ever conquered this dungeon… and I believe you know one of them as Dusknoir,* the bug-type's hollow, raspy voice filled her head, catching her slightly off guard.

"What? Dusknoir beat this place?"

*That is correct… I have knowledge of every mystery dungeon, including escape routes and shortcuts.*

"How? Mystery dungeons change every time someone enters them," Jade argued. "It's impossible to map them!"

*Not for me… would you like to possess the knowledge of the great Dusknoir?*

"What do you want in exchange?" Jade asked.

*I only require a small donation of 100 poké.*

Jade scoffed and turned away from him. "I don't have any money, Shedinja."

*I'm sure that Kirlia would give you a small donation if you simply asked…*

"If there's any way I can get to the top of this dungeon, I'll take it," she replied before turning back to the Psychic-type. "May I borrow some poké?"

"Sure! Anything to help a trialgoer of Destiny Tower!" the psychic-type handed her a small bag of poké, which she promptly gave to the Shedinja. "Show me how to reach the top."

The Shedinja hummed softly before tilting its whole body forward. *I do not do this for all… For most I merely offer a means of escape from the dungeon.*

"And I appreciate your generosity," she deadpanned. "Now show me."

The bug-type's hollow eyes showed no emotion as he rose, now floating inches from her face. *May you find what you seek…*

She expected to feel something different, but so far nothing had changed. She felt slightly more relaxed, but that was about it.  
"...How do I get to the top?"

*There is a shortcut on the following floor, where two pools of water merge. Beneath the water is a dimensional breach. That is all I can reveal,* the bug-type droned.

"What will the dimensional breach do?" Jade asked.

"Dimensional breaches in Mystery dungeons usually warp you to the end of the dungeon!" Kirlia put in. "But since the Tower doesn't take kindly to that, it should put you around the fifth floor from the pinnacle, give or take a few floors!"

Jade blinked heavily in disbelief. "No… there has to be a catch."

The Kirlia shook her head and gestured to the final shop. "Before you go, have a complimentary energy boost from Mime Jr! She will curb your hunger -and for this dungeon only- boost your power level back to its original state! It only lasts for 10 floors though, so if you don't make it to that portal, then good luck!"  
Jade floated over to the little pink psychic-type, who danced in a circle before casting a golden light over her. Her jaw dropped as her strength returned to her mind and body. She clenched her hand, sending a cold gust of wind across the room that froze the top of Lickilicky's water buckets. "Thank you."

"Go get 'em!" the Kirlia grinned. "And have fun!"

"I will," Jade replied half-heartedly. She was completely in awe of the luck she just had. As she hovered up the stairs, she came to a floor that looked exactly like a water dungeon. The depth of the water across the entire floor was indiscernible, and she hovered only inches above the surface. Her skin radiated such pure cold that the water immediately around her became slush as she moved through the dungeon.

 _Where are the two pools of water? This entire floor is covered in it!_

She looked for any sign of dry land while hovering through the narrow hallways, freezing a Seadra solid without batting an eye.

She gasped lightly once she entered the next room, which had a medium-sized island of stone in the center, with a small stream running into the rest of the water on the floor. That had to be it. She quickly flew over to where the water merged, but was thrown back by a sudden explosion of water as a Gyarados erupted from the deep. It coiled up and stared her down with a sinister grin. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Through you," she replied. "Then to the top of this tower."

The Water-type laughed and fired a hydro pump at her without preamble, forcing her to use blizzard, freezing the stream of water solid before it could touch her. She shattered the icy pillar apart with psychic, then infused the ice shards with ominous wind before impaling the giant serpent in one fluid motion. It dissolved into turquoise energy, leaving no trace of blood or flesh behind. She took a deep breath and submerged herself in the water, wasting no time wondering about whether or not the Gyarados was real or not. The sensation of warping forward in a dungeon wasn't that different from shadow travelling. It left her a bit disoriented, but the next thing she knew, she phased through the wall of a completely different floor. The first pokémon that rounded the corner was a Metagross; completely superior to any other wild pokémon she'd faced before. It tucked its legs into its body and flew forward with sickening speed. Jade phased through it and tried to freeze it from the inside as it crashed into the wall, but its eyes flashed blue, forcing her to solidify. She gasped as it used gyro ball, smashing her into the ground so hard that her face mask cracked and chipped. She blasted it off with a hyper beam fired from her mouth, sending it soaring into the ceiling with a metallic grunt before falling to the ground. She got up hastily, wincing as purple blood trickled down her face. _Blood…?!_

She tried to fire an ice beam at the steel-type, but the aftershock of Hyper beam took effect, forcing her back to the ground for a few seconds while she regained her energy.

"Roy… I can't do it…"

" _You can, and you will!"_

Once the aftershock of the Hyper beam wore off, she flew down the hallway with renewed determination.

 **-3rd Person-**

The skies of the hidden land rippled and shifted as Valerie entered the hidden land, crossing through the gap in time to reach the pinnacle of Temporal Tower.

Dialga hummed softly from atop Temporal Tower, closing his eyes as the energy from the Time Gear she possessed filled him. "SO… SHE RETURNS TO RIGHT HER WRONGS."

The Delphox materialized from flames that rose from between the tiles of the pinnacle of Temporal Tower, smiling skittishly and bowing in his presence. "Lord Dialga… it's been a while… heh."

"IT CERTAINLY HAS, MY CHILD…" Dialga rose from his resting position, now dwarfing the fallen Temporal Guardian. "HOW ARE THEY? I CANNOT SEE THEM."

"Oh, they're… they're doing good. They're trying to climb Destiny Tower to reach Arceus and hopefully revive Roy, but I don't believe they have what it takes to make it to the top."

"EVEN IF BY SOME MIRACLE THEY WERE ABLE TO REACH MY FATHER, MATTERS CONCERNING ROY ARE NOT HIS DECISION TO MAKE, BUT RATHER MY BROTHER'S."

"Doesn't Arceus have the final say?"

"HIS WORD HOLDS GREAT SWAY IN THE HALL OF ORIGIN, BUT WE HOLD ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OVER OUR SECTIONS OF THE MULTIVERSE."  
"Huh. That's interesting… You'd think I would already know that."

"YOU WERE ONLY A TEMPORAL GUARDIAN FOR TEN MILLENNIA IN THE BEGINNING," Dialga replied sarcastically. "AND YET YOU STILL HAVE NOT ASKED ME WHY."

"I know why: I had a relationship with Victor Bain, which goes against the temporal law, all that," she said, pursing her lips as Dialga's eyes gained a hint of irritation. "But… that's not what you meant."

"ENOUGH GAMES, VALERIE. I HAVE LET YOU ROAM FREE ACROSS THE TEMPORAL TREE FOR NEARLY AN EON AFTER YOUR BANISHMENT. I DEMAND MY TIME GEAR BE RETURNED TO ME."

She closed her eyes, exhaling deeply before pulling a small, turquoise gear out of the bottom of her staff. "My Lord…"

Dialga's eye flashed blue, and the time gear flew out of her hand, attaching itself to the enormous diamond in the center of his chest before being absorbed into his body. Instantly his veins glowed brighter, and the skies of the hidden land became more solid as the remainder of his power was restored. "I HOPE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND I DO THIS NOT OUT OF MALICE."

Valerie's eyes shot open as the steel sail on his back doubled in size, the glow in his veins increasing in intensity. "My lord…?"

"BY GRACE I WILL ALLOW YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR LIFE HERE IN THIS TIMELINE, FROM BUT THIS POINT FORWARD, YOU WILL NO LONGER POSSESS IMMORTALITY OR ANY FRACTION OF MY POWER."

She shook her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. "But my Lord-"

"I ALLOWED YOU TO KEEP YOUR GIFTS BECAUSE I SAW THE GREATNESS IN YOU," Dialga said as sternly as ever. "YOU HELD THE MOST PROMISE OF ALL TEMPORAL GUARDIANS, AND I ALLOWED MY ADMIRATION OF YOU TO CLOUD MY JUDGEMENT."

Tears soaked her face, but she nodded in acceptance, closing her eyes as Dialga blasted her back onto Immanis, stripping her of her temporal power.

When she stood up, she was in her hut, completely alone. The fire was crackling, and her rocking chair was perfectly still as though . She raised her hand experimentally in an attempt to bend the temporal fabric, but to no avail. She covered her mouth with one hand, leaning against the wall as the reality hit her: she was mortal.

* * *

 **Hello my wonderful readers! I apologize for the delayed upload. We are nearing the end of a five-year-long saga, and I can't thank you enough for all of your support through the years! We still have two more chapters, so don't lose hope yet! As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! What did you think of Jade at her full power? If you have any questions, comments, concerns or theories, feel free to put them into the form of a Review or PM! Much Love!**

 **-PL**


	22. Light of Hope

**-Chapter XXII: Light of Hope -**

 **-Jade-**

She hovered down the narrow hall, breathing heavily as the purple blood froze against her skin. A Noctowl used air slash after soaring around the corner, but she raised her hand, freezing it solid in a block of ice while phasing through the attack. She didn't have time to fight; She was going to reach the top of this tower. She had to.

 _Where is the-_

Her thoughts were cut short when a nearly invisible wire caught on her lower body. She stood perfectly still, looking to see what it was connected to. She turned intangible and tried to float through it, but the wire somehow still caught on her, triggering a massive rockslide. The roof of the hallway caved in in a matter of seconds, several large stones punching holes straight through her icy mask, but she escaped through mostly unharmed. She phased through the wall once more, using her spectral vision to find the stairs. _How many more floors…?!_

She clutched at her face, trying to stop the bleeding as she ascended the stairs. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of the solid gold, marble and platinum room with a strange orb in the center on an altar. There were no enemies that she saw, and just standing in the room healed her of her injuries in a matter of seconds.

 _ **You who have conquered Destiny Tower… to you I bestow the Jewel of Arceus the Creator.**_

"Where is he?" Jade asked. "I want to speak to him!"

 _ **This jewel will grant you power unlike any other of your kind. Those who oppose you shall bow before your might, and-**_

"I want to speak to Arceus!" Jade repeated herself. "I did not come all this way for an artifact!"

 _ **...Strange. Most are satisfied with simply gaining power.**_

"My name is Jade Meljanac, and I care nothing for _power_!" she cried out. "My friend is dead because of a power-hungry maniac!"

 _ **Why do you wish to speak to the creator?**_

"I want him back…!" her voice cracked at the thought of him. "I want Roy back… he didn't deserve to disappear…"

 _ **This is why you have made it to the pinnacle of my tower... Only those I deem worthy may see a glimpse of my domain.**_

Jade's eyes widened as the room around her transformed and faded into pure white before solidifying into a massive throne room with dozens of mythical and legendary pokémon sitting around a central hearth. Before she could respond, the rest of the team from Wigglytuff's guild appeared from the ground. Tears of joy rolled down Jade's face as the whole team looked around in awe at the titan-sized pokémon around them. They were so much larger than whenever they fought on Varius, and the power they radiated made her jaw go slack. As they looked around at the brightly lit throne room, Jade took note of every Son and Daughter of Arceus. To the right appeared to be the males, and to the left, the females. On the right half of the room, Groudon sat on a throne resembling an active Volcano with lava pouring down the sides, yet not extending past the base of stone. Kyogre swam in a pool of water as large as fogbound lake while Rayquaza hovered in a thin cover of clouds. Kyurem reclined on a throne of flaming ice that crackled with blue electricity, and Lugia and Ho-oh were perched atop two thrones resembling ancient Concordian towers. Latios hovered above a dense cloud-like throne, glancing across the colosseum at his sister, Latias. Dialga stood solemnly in front of an altar identical to the pinnacle of Temporal Tower while Palkia sat on a throne that appeared to be made of space itself, with glittering constellations flowing across the fifteen-foot-high structure. Giratina, in his original serpentine form, was coiled on a throne of solid gold and platinum, his bright red eyes piercing her soul, making her feel as though she were back in the Distortion World.

After what felt like an eternity, she looked down at eye level, towards the other sons which included Victini and Keldeo. Even though they were average size for a pokémon, neither of them compared to the immense stature of the legendary Pokémon that surrounded them. Beside Dialga and Palkia, there were twelve other regular sized pokémon, whom she assumed were the Temporal Guardians and Cosmic Lords. She recognized most of the Temporal Guardians: Grovyle, Basileus, Briar, Tyranitar, Galvantula, Celebi and Amber, who was in her human form, as well as Leroy, who stood next to twelve more pokémon beside Palkia who she assumed were Cosmic Lords. Shortly afterwards, five other pokémon appeared at the foot of Giratina's throne. She only recognized Dusknoir, but each of them were just as intimidating: A Cofagrigus, Trevenant, Aegislash and Hydreigon, each radiating immense power without muttering a word.

To the left she saw many smaller pokémon, which were the daughters of Arceus. There was Meloetta, Mew and Jirachi, who each hovered above their relatively simple thrones, and Cresselia, who rested on a pedestal that glowed with a gentle silver light. The only giants on that side were Lunala and Xerneas, and the fairy-type's antlers stretched as wide as Palkia's wings, easily twenty feet across, and so much larger than anything she could have previously imagined. Lunala was hanging from a lower section of the otherwise 100 foot high ceiling with her wings wrapped around herself, allowing only her bright pink eyes to shine through as she gazed silently across the room.

There were whispers amongst the legendary pokémon, but all fell silent as the doors at the far end of the room opened with a thunderous boom, flooding the room with divine golden light. Every titan-sized pokémon bowed their heads as their father stepped foot into the seemingly infinite space. He was smaller than expected; Not much larger than Dialga, which was surprising. But the authority he carried with him far exceeded anyone else's in the room. His bright red eyes were surprisingly friendly as his gaze shifted over everyone. The rest of the team followed the example of the children of Arceus, kneeling in respect of the creator.

One word spoken was enough to send shivers down her spine: "Rise."

His voice was soft and gentle, much like Connor's, which surprised her. As everyone stood up, Arceus looked down upon them with a pleasant smile. "I know why you come."

Connor dipped his head down before speaking. "Arceus-"

"I speak to the leader of this team," he said sternly while looking to Jade. Her eyes widened in awe as the creator knelt down to her. "What is your name, child?"

"J...Jade Meljanac," a whisper was all she could muster in the face of the great creator.

"Jade Meljanac… You have seen many pokémon come and go from your life… Yet there is one you wish to see more than any other."

Jade nodded silently, tears freezing on her face as the memories resurfaced. Arceus looked over the rest of the team, who stood in awe of the sight unfolding before them. "I accept your request. Giratina?"

" **FATHER."** the lord of death bowed his head as Arceus continued. "Do you see any reason not to grant their wish?"

Giratina closed his eyes and began shifting between his serpentine and alternate form, casting shadows across the walls and floor before reining them back in. " **I SEE NONE."**

"So be it."

 **-Roy-**

His eyes snapped open in the infinite darkness as he gasped for air. He was floating, but not sure exactly where. Why was he suddenly aware?

"Uh… hello…?"

"...ello?"

"...lo?"

His voice echoed across the void, leaving him with a strange sense of loneliness. But that was only momentary, as the darkness soon made way for a new landscape. In the blink of an eye, he was floating in the center of a village of wooden huts set ablaze by indigo fire. He shook his head and tried to float away, but stopped when a Leavanny stumbled out of one of the homes, coughing on the smoke that hung in the air. "What's happening?" he asked frantically. The Leavanny caught her breath, but before she could respond, she began choking as a Gallade emerged through the smokescreen, accompanied by a Drapion, Houndoom, Chandelure and Hydreigon. The Gallade's hand was outstretched towards her as he lifted her into the air, leaving her feebly gasping for breath.

"Stop!" Roy exclaimed, but no-one paid him any heed, still advancing on the smoldering home. He tried to free the bug-type with his own psychic, but this Gallade's telekinetic strength was leagues above whatever he was capable of.

"My master wants what is his…" the Gallade's voice nearly knocked Roy out of the air, it was so familiar.

"Let's just cut her down and be done with it," the Houndoom said. Roy recognized her as Rogue from the Mafia. Her voice was so heartless and cold that it sent shivers across his skin.

"Please… urk!" the Leavanny clutched at her throat as the Gallade's psychic hold grew even stronger. "Where is it?"

"Please, my family-!"

"Will burn to death unless you tell me where your village hid it," the Gallade snarled.

"Never…!"

The Gallade rolled his eyes in annoyance before closing his fist and dropping the Leavanny to the ground with a sickening snap. The rest of the Gallade's accomplices chuckled at the now lifeless body, and Roy blasted the psychic-type with shadow ball. "MURDERER!"

Somehow the attack actually connected, sending the Gallade flying through the air before righting himself with psychic. He flew towards Roy in the blink of an eye, his eyes glowing bright pink as he launched a psycho-cut at him. Roy melted into shadows to avoid the attack, reappearing a moment later and using ominous wind. "Who are you?!"

The Gallade chuckled coldly and absorbed the attack without so much as a flinch. "I thought you would have recognized me, Roy."

"I don't believe we've met," Roy deadpanned while charging up another shadow ball. "And I don't like repeating myself."

"You could have been so much greater…" the Gallade seemed heartbroken as he spoke those words. "I'm what you could have been…"

Roy's eyes widened in shock. "Nonono… No, Castiel is dead-"

" _You_ died, Roy," the Gallade's skin turned pitch-black as he corrected him. "You were Castiel, one of Victor's finest killers."

"I am not a murderer!" Roy retaliated.

"Oh, but you are… You claimed to have joined Victor's side for Dawn, using her safety and wellbeing to justify what you did… but you enjoyed _every second of what you did._ "

Roy's head was filled with memories of his past sins… tearing apart homes, ripping children from their mothers' arms before choking the life out of them both, all because Victor asked him to. "No… I'm not… I didn't..." Tears rolled down his face as the gruesome images replayed in his head. He could see his own face… and he was _smiling._

"This isn't me… This isn't who I am!" he tried to shake away, but he could feel the weight of his sins choking the life out of him as the Gallade forced him to the ground. "You can't win, Roy… You had so much power… to see it wasted like this breaks my heart."

Roy could hardly move, he was so distraught. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, until a bright golden light pierced his mind and lifted away the crushing weight of his past transgressions.

" **You are different, Roy… You are not the demon you see before you."**

"But I did these things… How could I…" he sobbed uncontrollably as the mental images faded, leaving nothing but regret and sorrow in his mind.

" **You are not evil. When I resurrected you, I removed your memories because I saw the goodness in your heart. Now stand your ground against your demon and unleash your spirit!"**

Roy's eyes flashed solid red as his spectral skin tore open, transforming into an unrecognizable mass of shadows with three bright red eyes in a triangular pattern. The darkness of the void surrounding him was absorbed into his now giant form. The Gallade's shadowy skin looked pale in comparison to the overwhelming darkness of Roy's as he rushed forward like a wave, engulfing the Gallade in absolute darkness. Then the darkness gave way to a blinding white light.

He was staring at a starry ceiling in a bright gold and marble room, surrounded by everyone he had grown to love. He blinked the spots out of his eyes, looking around warily as his teammates stared at him in awe. "Where…" his words were cut short when he took a second look past his teammates. The dozens of titan-sized pokémon sitting at the edges of what appeared to be a throne room looked relatively nonchalant about his apparent return from the depths of the Distortion World. He sat up slowly and hovered several inches above the ground with a smile. "You miss me?"

"Nope," Magnus said before being smacked upside the head by Atlas. Alice and Mirage giggled while Jade stared at him with her jaw hanging slightly open. Roy looked at the ground with a sheepish smile. "So, uh… How long has it been?"

"Two days," Connor said. "Roy… thank you so much… for everything."

"Eh, it was nothing," he said with a chuckle. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't bring you back?"

"Don't be so humble you jackass," Magnus joked. "You did more than anyone else."

Roy simply smiled in response. "I'll take that as thanks."

After getting his round of hugs, as well as a cold kiss on the cheek from Jade, he looked around in awe of the children of Arceus. "So this is the Hall of Origin… It's quite dazzling, I must say. How much do you think the gold floors are worth?"

"You… are not surprised to see us?" Arceus seemed puzzled by Roy's nonchalant attitude as he casually hovered around.

Roy's eyes slowly widened as the realization hit him. "This isn't another hallucination…"

"No, Roy. You're really back!" Alice exclaimed.

Roy was silent in response, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he took in their surroundings.

"We have elected to return you from the Distortion World." Arceus' booming voice jolted the ghost-type out of whatever trance he was in.

"Arceus, you're…"

"You have done well, Roy. No words are required of you."

Roy tilted his head down slightly, noting Connor staring at Amber. "Why am I back? Not that I'm unappreciative, I just…"

"Many events have led to this moment in time," Arceus replied. "You will play a key role in a child's life sometime in the future."

"Uh, I don't think I'm a father… I hope not, anyways!" Roy said with a slight chuckle, which quickly faded under Arceus' blank stare. "...Whose kid are you referring to?"

Arceus glanced at Amber, who stepped forward with a look of shame on her face. "Connor."

The Swampert transformed back into his human form, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the girl he loved.

"FATHER, IF I MAY." Dialga interrupted the exchange, and Arceus spoke without diverting his gaze. "Yes."

Dialga rolled his shoulders before moving forward and looking down at Connor. "THE TEMPORAL FABRIC OF THIS TIMELINE IS STRETCHED ALMOST BEYOND REPAIR. YOUR TEAM IS THE CENTRAL INFLUENCE OF ONE OF THE GREATEST TEMPORAL CRISES IN THE TEMPORAL TREE. AS SUCH… YOUR CHILD IS STILL NEEDED TO PRESERVE THE FUTURE. I WILL ALLOW HER TO LIVE WITH YOU AND KNOW HER FATHER… BUT ANY CONTACT WITH ANY OTHER TEMPORAL GUARDIANS NOT ASSIGNED TO YOUR TIMELINE IS FORBIDDEN. WE CANNOT RISK ANOTHER TEMPORAL CRISIS."

"What? I can't… I can't see Amber again?"

"NO. YOU HAVE BENT THE LAWS OF TIME, SPACE AND DEATH IN A REMARKABLY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HOWEVER, I WILL ALLOW YOU ONE FINAL GOODBYE."  
Connor fell to his knees, but tilted his head down with a slow nod. "I understand…"

Arceus blinked heavily, and Connor's entire team vanished behind him. "We will leave you alone for the time being," the god said as all of the legendary pokémon faded like an illusion, and he was left alone, as a human, with Amber standing several feet away from him in the center of the hall of origin. Her eyes were red and watery from crying, and Connor nearly broke down at the sight of her like this. "Amber… I'm so sorry…"

"No. Don't apologize," she wrapped her arms around him and wept into his shoulder. "I'm sorry for doing this to you… that I will never see our daughter… I'm the one that needs to be sorry..."

Connor embraced her and kissed her forehead gently. "Amber… You'll see her one day. Okay? I promise…"

"You know better than to make promises you can't keep," she said with a wistful smile. "Dialga has forbidden it; There is nothing you can do."

"But what if I can? She can't grow up never knowing you! That's not fair!"

"Fair…" she let out a sad laugh and stared into his eyes. "Connor, our entire relationship is anything but fair. I love you, but we can never be together... no matter how badly we both wish it were otherwise."

"Amber…!" he choked back a sob as the air around them began to shimmer with a golden light. Amber shook her head lightly and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. He embraced her back, closing his eyes, only breaking the kiss when his arms phased through her as if she were gone. He opened his eyes, and she was fading in and out of reality like an illusion... Just like he had with Vulcan three years ago. "...I love you, Connor."

"N-No! Amber, don't go! Please! It can't end this way!" he reached for her hand, but it dissolved into a cluster of golden lights, and with one last smile, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly back, accepting her fate as the golden lights increased in intensity until she vanished entirely. Connor fell to his knees as she disappeared, sobbing and slamming his fist into the polished marble floor, sending a fissure across the ground and up the wall. "It's not fair! Everything we've been through, all the time we've spent together..."

"Regain your composure, Connor." the god's voice filled his head, and he looked up at the sons of Arceus sitting in their thrones in a U-shape around him. Arceus tapped his foot on the ground, repairing the fissure along the ground in the blink of an eye.

"You just took her away from me… and have the nerve to tell me to calm down?!"

"And you have the nerve to speak to _me_ in that tone of voice after letting you see her at all?" Arceus' tone was dangerously hostile, and Connor flinched as all of the children of Arceus surrounding him stared him down. He was utterly alone in a room with the pokémon that made the entire universe. And all of his offspring.  
"Please… forgive me, I-"

"Enough." Arceus planted his foot in the ground, and Dialga stepped forward, the gem in his chest glowing bright blue. Connor narrowed his eyes as Dialga began humming softly, and he gasped as a small creature swaddled in a sand-colored cloth was hovering in front of him. He extended his arms and held the baby gently as the telekinetic hold was released, and the child yawned, opening its eyes. Connor's eyes welled up with tears as the brown-haired child stared at him curiously. "...?"

He hugged the baby and pressed her into his chest protectively. "Oh, Arceus..."

When he looked into her wide, observant eyes, he could see the reflections of thousands of stars in her irises. "You're so beautiful… My daughter…" he kissed his child's forehead and cried with joy.

 ***Twelve Years Later***

"And that's how you were born." the brown-haired human said with a smile as he moved his hand through his daughter's hair.

"What?! No way!" the little auburn-haired human squealed as she excitedly grabbed her dad's shirt and motioned for him to continue. He leaned against the wall of Sharpedo Bluff, looking over the sea as he placed his arms around her. "It's true! I swear!"

"You and Uncle Vulcan did _all_ of that?"

"You bet we did," Vulcan said as he came down the stairs and flopped onto his bed. "Phoo… Yeah, your dad and I have been around the block a few times."  
"What's that mean?" the little human asked as she looked up to Connor for clarity.

"It means that we've done a lot of stuff," he replied.

"Awesome!" the little girl squealed with excitement as she ran over to the edge of the bluff, letting the wind blow her hair while she gazed out into the horizon. "...I want to meet mom someday."

Connor teared up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "...I'm sure you will, Petra."

The little girl stared at the sunset for a long while before looking up at her father. "So what happens next?"

"Well… that's it," he said. "We beat the Mafia, and Victor and Mordred are locked up. Everything after that you were a part of."

"What?! No! That can't be the end!"

"Okay… what haven't I told you about?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed.

"Did you tell her about how we travelled through time?" Vulcan asked.

"To the future?" Petra asked as she looked up at her dad. "I heard a little bit of it from Vincent and dad; A big bad ghost kidnapped you!"

Connor smiled and ruffled her hair jokingly. "Yeah; He's not so big and bad anymore, though. How about… When we got the twelve sacred treasures?"

Petra's eyes lit up while Connor sat her on his leg. "Ooh, you're in for a treat."

* * *

 **-The End**

I want to thank everyone here for all the continuous support and checking on me throughout my uncharacteristic six months of silence. It's been a wild year of change for me, and I will explain more about the plans for my account in the epilogue chapter! As always, much love!

-PL


	23. Epilogue & Farewell

**-Epilogue-**

 **-3rd person-**

"Hurry up, uncle Roy! You're so slow!"

The Mismagius smiled and floated after the small child, who dove down the stairs of spinda's café head first. He gasped and grabbed her with psychic before she hurt herself.

"Goodness, child… I'm not always going to be here. You can't be that reckless!"

The human just giggled and brushed her hair out of her face as Roy set her on the floor. The child grinned and sprinted over to the counter, placing an oran berry and an apple on the counter. "Oh! Oh! Mr. Spinda! Can I have a drink?"

The café owner tilted his head and glanced at Roy, who placed several poké on the counter. "She's with me."

The spotted pokémon smiled, grabbed the two fruits and placed them in a cup and began twirling behind the counter whilst shaking the mixture. The little human clapped and cheered as he mixed the drink, and Roy sighed, looking towards the stairs while Connor's daughter watched Spinda in awe as he used ice punch to chill the drink in an instant by supercooling his hand.

"Roy. We have an assignment." Jade emerged from the floor, and he glanced at the little human with a small smirk. "You mean _you_ have an assignment. My mission is to babysit until Connor and Vulcan get back from their 'official business' at the Guild, whatever that means."

"No; I mean _we_." Jade clarified.

"I don't think you heard me-"

"Connor's orders."

Roy paused and narrowed his eyes, trying to maintain eye contact with her bright yellow irises. "Okay, I know you're lying… He told me to keep her safe. What do you want?"

"...Meet me at Wigglytuff's Guild in five minutes."

"Okay, got it," he rolled his eyes and turned back to Connor's daughter, who was now chugging the ice-cold drink. Jade phased into shadows, and Roy gasped as the child dropped the cup and grabbed her forehead, groaning in pain.

"What's wrong?!"

"Brain… freeze…" the little human fell to her knees and collapsed to the ground, and Roy just chuckled. "That's what you get for not savoring the drink."

He placed a shadow-infused hand on her shoulder and chanted a quick healing spell. "Parantua hänen mielessään."

She sighed with relief and stood up, still grinning. "Come on! Let's go exploring!"

"Whoa, slow your roll, young lady." Roy held her back with his cloak, and she pouted while crossing her arms. "...Meanie."

"You know I'm not being mean," Roy chided her. "If I was mean, I'd put you in a coma for a few hours so I didn't have to deal with you."

"I know… Oh! Uncle Roy!"

"That's my name," he sighed. "...What?"

"I remember dad talking about Time Travel… What's it like?"

"I… I don't know, personally. He and Vulcan are the only ones who have experienced it."

"Huh. I want to travel through time some day… I think that would be cool." she giggled.

"I'd imagine so," he murmured.

"If you could go back in time and change one thing about the past, what would you change?"

"Goodness me, one thing?" the Mismagius blinked back tears, but managed to force a smile. "There are so many things I would change… I can't choose. How about you?"

"If I could go back, I wouldn't change anything!" she beamed.

"Really? Not even a time you got in trouble?" Roy said with a joking smile.

"Nope! I wouldn't change a thing about anything!"

"Huh. Interesting."

Roy turned around as Magnus lumbered down the stairs, ducking slightly to avoid the top of the doorway, then fully elongating his neck and stretching out his wings. "...This place is quiet. Where is everyone?"

"It's the middle of the afternoon," Roy informed him. "Nobody's going out for a drink right now. They're out exploring or shopping."

"It was a rhetorical question, smartas-"

"Nah-ah-ah! Not in front of the kid!" Roy cut him off, and the Tropius growled softly while handing Spinda two sitrus berries. "Don't make it super cold this time. It hurts my head."

"Of course," Spinda took the two ingredients, and Roy gasped lightly. "Right. I need to meed Jade at Wigglytuff's guild!"

"Yeah; She was saying something about 'Roy's gonna freak out'." Magnus grunted. "Honestly, I couldn't care less."

"That's not nice, uncle Magnus!" Connor's daughter exclaimed. "You should always care about others!"

"I'm not a nice guy. Caring gets you hurt." the Tropius shrugged as Nocturne and Atlas came down the stairs, followed shortly by Vincent and Rose.  
"Took you all long enough," Roy joked. Then he turned to Connor's daughter, then back to them. "I have to meet Jade at Wigglytuff's guild. Rose, can you watch Petra for me?"  
"Yeah; I can do that!" Rose said with a smile.

"Whaaat? Uncle Roy, you said we were gonna go exploring!"

"Jade needs me real quick. Then we can go exploring; How does that sound?"

"Yaaay!" the little human jumped with joy, and Roy chuckled as he phased into shadows. "I'll be back soon."

Then he rematerialized inside of the guild, startling several apprentices and causing them to scramble backwards. "Good afternoon, recruits. Have you seen Jade?"

"Roy!" a familiar voice sung from above the Mismagius, and he smirked as Chatot landed on the ground in front of him. "I believe she's in the mess hall."

He shrugged and hovered into the empty room, and suddenly he was dragged into the floor by an icy hand. Jade wrapped her arms around him with a smile and kissed him as they floated weightlessly in the shadow dimension. After a moment to regain himself, he smiled and stared into her eyes. "What's this about?"

"I just love you," she said with a grin. "And wanted to remind you."

"I love you too," he said with a small laugh. "But I've got babysitting duty today."

"That's fine, I just wanted to take a moment to ourselves," she whispered. "It's been too long."

"Indeed it has…"

Their badges suddenly flashed to life, and they were hovering in spinda's café, much to their annoyance. Roy was better at masking his disappointment than Jade, but even her scowl was replaced by a curious smile as Connor sat Petra down at the table. "I have some great news, baby girl."

She looked up at him excitedly as he handed her a small wooden crate engraved with Asmortic runes. "Vulcan and I just talked to Guildmaster Wigglytuff. He's normally _super_ strict about who he lets in..." his tone was hinted with sarcasm at that statement. "...but I've talked him into apprenticing you." She flipped open the box and leapt up to give her father a massive hug. "Really?! Thank you thank you thank you!"

The rest of the team smiled and clapped as she took the explorers' badge out of the crate and fastened it to her shirt. "I'm an explorer just like you guys!"  
"Oh yeah, you're gonna be awesome," Atlas said with a grin. "The strongest in the world!"  
"You're going to do great, Petra!" Alice assured her.  
"I'll drink to that," Magnus agreed. Upbeat music began pouring from the walls while everyone celebrated the next prodigé explorer, with several teams showing up and telling her stories about how they've worked with Connor's team over the years and how she's going to do great things.

"I'll do my best!" she said with a grin. Her first day would start tomorrow, but for now she celebrated with her family, dancing the evening away.

* * *

 **I realize that this may not be the ending many of you were expecting. I want to use this epilogue to explain a little bit of my life the past two years. As I've gotten better at writing and matured in my creativity with much help from many of you, I've decided to take the next step beyond fanfiction: writing my own novel series as a legit published author. I had never intended to be writing for this long when I created this account, as I only wanted to show my version of Grovyle's backstory, but I am so glad that it turned out the way it did. As the years have gone by, I've made several good friends on this website that I've been able to bounce ideas off of, and many of you have reached out to me during my period of silence!**

 **I want to personally thank several contributors, namely Aerojester, OnyxWhip and Parousia45 for being there through pretty much all of it and keeping me motivated to write!**

 **I'm probably rambling on at this point, so I'll get to the point: My main focus has shifted to writing professionally, and once I have a title and stuff decided, I'll post information here for anyone who's interested! So for now, I don't expect to be writing any more PMD fics. It has been a wonderful experience these last 6 years or however long it's been now, and I wouldn't change any of it for the world!  
**

 **This will be my final chapter for a while. Farewell everyone. As always, Much Love!  
**

 **-PL**


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